Dark Woods Circus
by ShinigamiOfHeaven
Summary: They have escaped from Koo Island. They have found Dark Woods Circus. But not all is as it seems to be. Continuation from 'Late Night Madness' and is my own adaptation of the song.
1. Chapter 1

HELLO!  
omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg

Dark Woods Circus...

That's all I'm saying at the moment...

Oh! And it's my birthday.  
I am officially 18 now!  
And I have an exam today (ekk!) for maths (double ekk!)

So, wish me luck, read this story, and leave a review please

Oh, and this is the only time I will have the character layout down below (just so you can re-cap and remember)  
New readers: read 'Late Night Madness' first before this if you want to understand everything

Enjoy~

* * *

Meiko – Lou 'Fly' Delux  
Kaito – Shan  
Miku – Fay Diana (aka Angel)  
Rin and Len – Viv and Nick Slur

Chapter 1 –

The small boat which held an unusual bunch of passengers reached the edge of the swamp, the red water lapping at the side of the boat as the willow trees hung above like dead hands reaching for them. Fay looked around nervously before consulting the letter in her hand. Upon their escape, she had found this note from Dr. Marita Young, a woman who was supposedly dead, and followed the instructions. Now, they were outside and free, but utterly and completely lost.

The compass in the boat helped a little, but none of them had any real experience in the outside world, except for Fly who was sound asleep next to the twins. Nick and Viv both rested their heads on the floor, not having woken up since the escape. Their necks bore the marks of rushed stitching along with the smooth like cut of a blade. It was lucky on their behalf that Shan got to them when he did. Fay turned to look next to her, to where Shan was sleeping.

His blue skin looked normal in the dim light, his hair clinging to his skin from the humidity of the swamp. His arms no longer bound by the jacket; he had flung the jacket over the side of the boat before shivering and watching it sink.

Slowly, Fay nudges him awake. He looks up at her, a little groggy from sleep, before realizing they weren't moving any more. He sits up right and looks around. "Are you sure where here?" he asks. She shakes her head. "I dunno, but I was following the instructions in this letter so I hope were not lost."

He nods his head as they both turn towards Fly who just happened to open an eye to look at them. "We here yet?" she asks, receiving a warm smile from Fay and a grunt from Shan. "I think so." Fay replies as she looks down at the twins. "What are we gonna do about them?"

"They're going to be shocked when they wake up, that I know is certain." Shan replies as he stands up. The boat rocks with this motion. "But they're just going to have to get used to it now." He finishes before leaping out of the boat and landing on the bank. He grabs the stern of the boat as he pulls it onto the bank. The scraping sound of the wooden boat hitting the rocky shore awoke the twins. They look at each other and sit up.

"Wow, my head hurts." Viv says as she places a hand to her forehead. Nick shakes his before yawning. Nick goes to stand as Viv looks around, wide eyed as she is lifted to her feet as well. "What the..." she begins before looking down. Nick copies her action before they lock eyes again.

Viv screams.

Fay and Fly stand where they are, worried, as Viv begins to poke Nick. He looks at her, eyes wide with shock and horror, as he turns to the two girls standing in front of him. "What happened here?" he asks them as Viv begins to sob.

"There was nothing else we could do!" Fay cries out in a desperate plea of forgiveness. "You're heads had already been chopped off and this was the only body Shan could find."

"What do you mean 'our heads had been chopped off'? We would be dead if they were." Nick replies.

"They were. I managed to sew them back on to your body because both body and heads were still alive." Shan replies. The twins turn around to face him. "I had only two choices: let you die or save you whichever way I could. I choose the later, as you can see." He continues. Nick looks down at his, no, _their_ body before sighing in defeat. Viv began to tremble, or what side of their joined body could as she turned from Shan to Fay and Fly.

"So what, we live like this for the rest of our lives?" she comments. "We have to live as conjoined twins?"

"Viv, we're sorry." Fay says with as much sympathy as she could muster. "This is the best we could do. There was nothing else, and I wouldn't want anything like this to ever happen to you. If I could have changed it, I would have saved you both from this fate. I would have prevented it from happening. But there was _nothing_ that I could do: nothing at all. And I would rather have you like this than dead."

Viv looks up at Fay and nods her head slowly as Nick looks away. He didn't like the situation he was forced into. Maybe death would have been the better option...  
'_Don't you _dare_ go thinking about such things.' _He hears Viv say, or rather thought. He turns to look at her, a little baffled before smiling. Since they were now sharing the same body, he would have to get used to sharing a lot more than his privacy too. It was something to be expected, after all: they were twins.

The five of them walked for what seemed like hours before they reached a small town. Fay looked around at her friends, at their starving faces. She felt hungry too, the aching pain that comes with extreme hunger. But they had no money, and out of them all only Fay looked normal, if you don't count the countless bandages wound around Fly as normal. Shan places a gentle hand on Fay's shoulder and gives her a little shove.

She stagers forward a little and turns around. "Just ask for food." He says to her questioning gaze. His smile sent a wave of heat coursing through her body as she staggers forward. She pauses and turns around again. "Might need some help. Fly!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." The woman replies with a smile before following the girl into town.

Fay and Fly looked around in surprise. They both thought that they would stand out, regarding their clothing were plain white and in rags, but were not prepared to see so many people wearing rags too. Fay looks nervously towards Fly who gives an encouraging nod as they enter a store.

Fay was stunned. She had lived in Koo Island all her life yet had images of the outside world implanted in her mind. She now understood why she had to change personalities so many times. The shop looked exactly the same as the one from her 'Fay Diana' life: the life she thought was real but just a figment of her imagination. The clerk behind the counter looks up briefly before turning back to the newspaper in his hand. Fly walks over to the counter.

"We were wondering if you could give us some free food." She says. The man drops his newspaper and looks at her. "And tell me why I would do that?" He asks as Fay stands beside Fly. Fly tilted her head to the side and turns to Fay. "You're turn." She says.

Fay looks at the man. She had a vague memory of asking for something and receiving it with no hesitation, but as soon as the memory formed, the image was gone. To make things worse, it was a memory of a woman whom Fay had never seen before. Looking up at the man, Fay smiles sweetly at him. "Sir, I was wondering if you could spare a few provisions for me and my friends. We've been travelling for a very long time and we are quiet hungry." Through the corner of her eye, Fay could see Fly hiding a wave of laughter as the man looks down at her in sympathy.

"So, if we could have a bag of food that would be-" The man holds up a hand. "Say no more." He booms cheerily. "I'll prepare a bag of food for you and you're friends." Fay smiles in delight as he walks away. Turning around, she sees Fly doubling over in strained laughter. "What?" Fay asks as Fly stands up, wiping away invisible tears from her eyes.

"No, not, it's nothing." She says, standing up straight. "It's just... right then, you looked like your old self, I mean yourself as 'Angel' that is." Fay looks away, smiling sadly as the man returns. He hands the bag to Fay and waves the pair off as they begin walking back to the others. Fay knew she was Angel, but that was in the past. She didn't want to be constantly reminded of this fact, it just hurt her. She wasn't going to change anymore, she had made that promise, but to be constantly reminded of Angel just hurt her. It wasn't her fault that she had lost her memory, blame everyone at Koo Island for that!

Reaching the others, Fly and Fay places the bags of food on the ground. Everyone ate their fair share and to their hearts content. Shan raises an eyebrow towards Fay as he looks at Fly. She smiles at him as a wave of understanding pass between the pair. "So tell me Fay," he says as she turns around at the mention of her name. "How did you manage to get this food? Did you have to steal it? Kill someone for it?" At the last comment, Viv looks up in disgust and drops her food. Nick chuckles to himself and continues eating. "You didn't have to _kill_ anyone for this, did you?" she asks.

"No, Viv. I didn't" Fay replies, giving Shan an icy gazes as she turns back to her own food. "I just asked the guy in the shop if he could spare some food and he came back with this." She waves her hand over the food and bags. Viv smiles and nods her head, picking up her discarded food and eating it again. "Sorry Fay." She says though mouthfuls. Fay laughs as Fly and Shan smile.

Night soon fell as Shan started a small camp fire. The cold, damp air clung to their skin as Fly rummaged through the bags. "Got some blankets here!" she calls out, pulling out a large, woollen blanket. The twins grabbed it at once and wrapped themselves in a cocoon. They soon fell asleep on the ground. Shan turned to Fly over the growing fire. They had sent Fay to grab whatever was useful from the boat and bring it back. "Did she...?" he begins to question when Fly holds up and hand and shakes her head. "She did what she normally does, nothing like back then though." Fly replies. Shan heaves a sigh of relief before poking the wood with a stick. "Does she know though?" he asks, looking up again. Fly was pulling out a second blanket and wrapping it around herself. She shakes her head. "It doesn't look like she does." Shan nods his head as the flame begins to grow.

The sound of Fay's returning footsteps alerts the pair as she returns with a lamp, the thin blanket and compass from the boat. "This is all I found." She says, holding up the provisions as they were illuminated by the light. Fly holds out a hand for the lamp and compass as Shan pulled the blanket out of her arms. Fay looks at them both in turn before going to one of the bags. Looking inside, she finds one more blanket and pulls it out. "You would think he might have packed more than three." She mumbles under her breath. Fly giggles, a sound most bizarre coming out of her mouth, as Shan shrugs. "You didn't specify how many 'friends' you had." He replies. Fay glares at him before wrapping the blanket around herself.

"That's not gonna keep you warm." She says, nodding her head to the blanket from the boat. It was made of a simple cloth, something that she could imagine being used as a bed sheet. "Why don't you take one of these?"

"I'm fine, the cold doesn't bother me." He replies. Frowning, Fay slides next to him and wraps one side of the blanket around his shoulder. It was large enough for them both to be able to sit up and have one side of their body covered, but they had to be huddled close to each other in order to do that. The cloth was placed on their outstretched legs as their breath fogged in the cold, night air. Fay could feel her cheeks heating up with the memory of the boat ride and their escape. She was glad that Fly fell asleep easily.

"Tell me," she says, avoiding the urge to look at him and instead chose to gaze at the fire. Shan looks down at her, his pale blue face brightening as the firelight danced on his cheeks. "What do you see when you look at me? I mean, who do you see: me or Angel?"

"You know you're both the same person." Shan says.

"I don't care. Who do you see? And be honest with me." Fay could feel his gaze shift from her to the fire. She sucked in a deep breath, anticipating his answer.

"I see Angel, not Fay." He replies. Fay looks down, sadly, as she nods her head. She knew this would be his answer, she somehow knew he would never let go of Angel. How could he, though, when the same person was constantly in front of him yet not the same as before? "Then answer this for me:" She says, her voice wavering with the effort to prevent herself from breaking down. She was sick and tired of hearing about Angel; it was time for them to move on. "Why did you kiss me?"

"You kissed me first," he says. She looks up at him, their eyes meeting as a shiver runs down his spine. Fay looks at him with a cold, emotionless gaze. He averts his gaze from hers, a pained look evident on his face as he whispers his true reply. "Because, you were once Angel."


	2. Chapter 2

I'm assuming everyone remembers the characters and all that.

I'm tired, sick, and grumpy.

This didn't go up yersterday cause my internets being lame and stupid and doesn't want to do what it's told... stupid internet...  
But it's only a day late, so not too bad.

I've got a splitting head ach and I wanna sleep~ *groans*  
Review and tell me what you think might happen in the next chapter.

And don't forget to cheek out 'Love Behind Screen Doors'. It romantic and more comedic than this story will EVER be.

Catch ya later  
I'm gonna go take a nap -.-

* * *

Dark Woods Circus

Chapter 2 –

Viv and Nick were handling their situation quiet well. They talked among one another about things and slowly got to know each other better. Fly, Nick and Viv were packing up their makeshift campsite when they saw Shan begin to stir. "Hey there." Fly says as Shan sits up. "You took you're time."

"Sorry." Shan replies. "I didn't sleep well."

"That, coming from you, is a surprise." They hear Fay say as she leans over the small fire. She looks up at Shan, the coldness in her eyes form the night before gone. "You seemed to have slept well." He shakes his head, averting his gaze from her as he began folding up both the blanket and the cloth. Fly looks at them both in turn. She could tell, just by the way they were acting, that something happened when she had fallen asleep. "Come on." She says more cheerily. "Let's get moving." Viv nods her head, Nick smiles and picks up one of the bags. Shan places the blanket and cloth in one bag and picks that one up. Fly takes the bag from Nick and swings it over her shoulder as Fay picks up the last bag. She hands the lamp to Nick before walking to Shan, opening his bag and pulling out the cloth. She walks back to the twins and wraps it around them. "There, this should be better." She says as they smile up at her.

They left the edge of the swamp behind as Fay looks down at the letter in her hand. She turns it over and over in her hand, searching for a map but finds none. "This says to search for a circus called 'Dark Woods Circus'. It's supposed to be a haven for deformed." She says as she begins to frown. "It's that a little _too_ convenient?" She asks.

"It is, but what have we got to lose?" Fly says as she shrugs. Viv and Nick give each other a quick glance before nodding their heads in some sort of agreement. "Are there any instructions on how to get there?" Shan asks. Fay looks over the letter again before shaking her head. "There's nothing here to suggest a possible route." She turns back to her friends. "We need to go into town to find out more." Fly points to herself, looking bemused, before shaking her head. "Nuh-uh! No way am I going back there." She says as she stumbles backwards. "I mean, we were just lucky that no one commented on my bandages before. What makes you think they won't notice?"

"Come on Fly, it's not that bad. Besides, what would happen if I got into trouble and needed help? What would you do then?" Fay asks. She looks at her friend before looking at everyone else in turn. She knew they understood her reasons, and they knew she was right. Fay was young, and she wasn't that bad in the looks department. If she wondered around in town alone, something bad could happen. She had already gone through something horrible because of her looks.

Shan gives a heavy sigh before turning to Fly. "You need to go with her." He says. Fly looks at him, a little shocked, before shaking her head. "Fine," She declares. "I'll go." Fay smiles up at the older woman as Viv and Nick look at each other sadly. They once knew, not too long ago, what it was like to seem normal. Now, their normality has been taken away and they are forced to share the same body. Nick clenches his fists when he hears Viv's thought. '_We can't be too upset at them Nick,' _she says. He looks at her sad smile as she continues. _'They saved us, after all. We're alive, and that's all that counts, right?'_

'_Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry Viv.' _He replies. They smile again before turning back to see Fay and Fly retreating into the woods. They now had to wait for their return, and hopefully bring some news back about this 'Dark Woods Circus' they were supposed to find.

Fay and Fly had been walking around in town for what must have seemed like hours before they found any clue to the circus. There was a poster, peeling off the side of a shop, that had in vague, creepy red writing 'Dark Woods Circus' plastered at the top. Fay looks at Fly with a broad smile on her face as they try to read the writing. "Well, we've got time and dates here." Fly says as she points to the bottom right corner of the poster. "But I don't see anything about a location."

"Well, we know it has to be in the Dark Woods, right? I mean, that is what it's named after." Fay comments.

"True, but that doesn't mean it doesn't change location. For all we know this poster could be 20 years old and the circus doesn't exist anymore."

"But in the letter it said 'I'll see you at the Dark Woods Circus'. Why would Marita lie?"

"Because it wasn't Marita; it was just a lie, a trick." Fly turns towards Fay and smiles sadly. "We both know that Marita was killed for trying to help us escape. There's nothing we can do now that she's dead." Fay looks away before turning back to Fly with a look of determination written on her face. Her friend looks back at her with shock. "I don't know what happened: I don't remember it." Fay replies stubbornly.

"Fay," Fly says as the teen looks away from the older woman. She looks out to the crowd in front of them and turns back to Fly. "Come on; let's see what these people know." She says before walking into the crowd.

They walked around for a while, asking anyone who would stop questions about the mysterious circus, when they finally came across someone who knew something. The elderly woman who stopped to listen to them smiled as they introduced themselves. But once they mentioned the circus, her smile faded.

"Why would you two be searching for that place?" She asks. Fay turns to Fly, who raises a brow, before answering.

"Someone told us to go there." She replies bluntly. The woman looks her up and down before turning to Fly with an equally quizziling look. "Why are you bound in bandages, young girl?" She asks, pointing to Fly's arm. Fly looks up at the woman before turning away and mumbling an answer that neither Fay nor the woman could here. "I didn't quiet catch that," she says. "Could you please speak up?"

"My flesh peels off." Fly repeats a little louder. "I need these bandages so that the flesh stays attached to my arm." The woman nods her head sympathetically.

"I see, so that is why you are seeking the circus. You're both searching for a haven, aren't you?" She asks. Fay nods her head as Fly looks away, rubbing her arms. The woman sighs. "If the circus is the only haven you can resort to, then I really pity what the world has come to now. Very well, I shall tell you where the circus lied when I was young."

"Thank you." Fay says with a smile on her face.

"Don't thank me!" She woman declares in utter horror. "I don't want you're thanks. If you desperately desire that god forsaken place, then I want no part in your fate. I shall tell you where it is, but once you find it; do not call on me again." Fay nods her head and listens intently to what the woman says.

"Now, listen carefully: leave the town from the west exit and walk along the path until you reach a fork in the road...

"Take the left path a few steps then walk backwards and return to the fork before taking the right path. Once on the path, walk straight until you no longer see the swamp." Fay looks to her left, to where the red water of the swap was eating away at the ground. Looking over her shoulder, she counts the heads and sees everyone following her with ease. Viv and Nick we're quiet as Fly and Shan murmured to each other. There was no way that she would be able to conduct a decent conversation with any of them after the way she acted before. But she was tired of being compared to Angel. She was tired of them still holding onto someone who will never return. She was no longer Angel: she was now Fay. Couldn't they let go of the past and just let her live her new life without the name haunting her?

The swap soon vanishes as Fay stops walking. Shan bumps into her, causing the teen to turn around and glare at him before looking straight ahead. "Where now?" Viv asks as Fly looks around.

"I don't know." Fay replies. "She said that once we lost sight of the swap, that the circus would be straight ahead. But where's straight ahead?"

"Just look to you're right, you'll see it then." Fly says as she points off into the distance. Everyone follows Fly's gaze as, in the distance, they make out lights and a possible tent. "Is that it?" Viv asks.

Fly nods her head. "Must be. Nothing else out here except that circus."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Shan says as he smiles at them all. "Let's go."

Viv nods her head as Nick smiles. Fly punches the air and beings walking with Viv and Nick in tow. Fay remains where she is, contemplating the old woman's words as Shan pats her shoulder. She looks up into his blue eyes as he smiles sadly at her. She lifts his hand from her shoulder and begins walking. "Don't smile at me like that." She says over her shoulder. "I don't want, nor do I need, yours or anyone else's pity."

"It's not pity." Shan replies as he catches up to her. "It's an apology." She stops walking and turns towards him. He follows suit and looks away, the signs of a blush creeping up on his cheeks, tinting his pale complexion a rosy red. "Why the apology?" She manages to ask.

"Well, you seemed really upset whenever we mention Angel," she groans at the name as he looks at her sternly. "Let me finish."

"Fine." She grumbles, folding her arms over her chest.

He coughs into his fist before turning back to face her. "So, since you get upset at the mention of her name, I wanted to apologies and..."

"And?" She asks.

He looks at her briefly before looking away. "I've been hurt here as well." He says. "I've been hurt a lot by the very person I can never forget, nor whom I can never stop loving: no matter who they are or who they once were." He shuffles his feet, the dead leaves rustling with his movement as he looks up at her again. "I don't want to hurt you anymore, so from now on I shall never mention Angel again. You're Fay, and no matter who you were before, you will never be them again. You're a new you, and we all have to just accept that fact that you may be a little different to who you were in the past, but your still here, your still with us, you just have a new name."

Fay watches Shan as he turns away again, the rosy red blush that covers his cheeks now reaching the nape of his neck. She smiles before wrapping her arms around him. "It's hard for all of us," She says into his back. "And I don't want you to forget Angel, or the other people that I've been. But what I do want is for you all to stop comparing us. I know I'm different to who she was, but that doesn't mean that I'm not still the same person you remember."

He turns around in her grip so that her face was now resting against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, they hug as she closes her eye. "I'm still me," She says. "I'm still Angel at heart, along with June Smith and Kirst. And most of all Fay Diana. No matter what name I go by, I am still me."

"And knowing you as well as I do, you won't let anything like a lost memory stand in your way of the future." Shan says. She looks up at him and smiles.

"Hey, you know me best. You tell me." She replies as they lean in for a kiss.

"Hey you two love birds!" Fly yells at them. They turn towards Fly as she waves a hand in the air at them. "Hurry up will ya. You've got all day to act like a couple. Let's get going." Shan laughs as Fay smiles. She now knew where she belonged in this group of weird people, people who she called family.

She was Fly's best friend.

An older sister to Viv and Nick.

She was in love with Shan who loved her in turn.

And when they find Marita, she would be a daughter.

She had a place now, and the circus would be their new home.

Everything was working out for them.

If only all good things lasted.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the late update guys, my laptop was being mean to me and wouldnt work on both normal documents along with the Internet.

I think it felt neglected and not appreciated enough...

Anyway, I will still be uploading a new chapter on Monday so there will be two chapters up in the span of a day or so - depending on the time this one goes up XD

Please review and enjoy~

* * *

Dark Woods Circus

Chapter 3 –

The circus was not what Fay was expecting. She thought there would be clowns running around, animal tamers feeding the animals, men and women preparing food and equipment. Instead, it looked like it was deserted, like no one had been there in ages. Fay looks around and shivers as Shan wraps an arm around her. "Just wait." He says as they reach the others. "I'm sure someone's here."

The flaps to an old tent swing up as a small, chubby man waddles out. His top hat was as tall as himself, doubling his height to that of an average man, as his ringmaster clothes look pristine and clean. He wore a monocle on his left eye as a gold chain ran from his breast pocket to his hand where a pocket watch we held, open and showing the time. The small group look at the man with interest as he yawns, replaces the watch into another pocket, and begin walking in their direction before stopping and gazing up at them.

"My, my, my, aren't you a lovely group of freaks." He says.

"Excuse me?" Fly says, obviously hurt and offended by his words but more angry than anyone else.

The man smiles and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, that's what most people call you guys round here, right?"

"Not really." Viv replies.

"We haven't been around here long enough to be called such things." Nick says.

"We came from Koo Island." Fay continues. "Have you heard of the place?"

The man's smile widens as he flings his hands in the air. "Koo Island! Koo Island! You must be the group of children Marita Young said would be coming here!" He booms. Fay smiles up at Shan as he tightens his grip around her. Viv and Nick nod their heads in unison as Fly shrugs. "So what if we are?" She asks. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Why, I'll give you guys a home, that's what." He says as he begins to waddle away from them, still excited about the children from Koo Island. Fly looks at everyone and raises a brow. "Should we follow him?" She asks.

Fay shrugs. "Can't hurt us, can it?" She replies before walking forward. Everyone else soon follows and in a few strides catches up to the small man. His smile was widening across his face as he walked in zig zags across the ground. "This here will be your home." She says as they reach a tent. It was large, about the size of a small house but with only one door and no windows. Fay looks down at the man and smiles. "Thank you... um, Mr..."

"Mr. Peak. My name is Mr. Peak." He replies, his ever growing smile reaching his ears. Fay shivers as Fly and Shan look at each other with caution. Nick and Viv were busy with other things to notice the inhuman smile Mr. Peak was showing. Somehow, though, Fay began to find his name amusing and smiles a sweet, innocent smile. "'Peak'? Like a mountain 'peak'?" She asks.

He looks at her, his head seeming to rotate round like that of an owl. Fly scrunches up her face in disgust, Shan looks away from the hideous sight as Fay gasps and sucks in a lung full of air. Viv and Nick were still busy with the flowers and butterflies they had just found, Nick more interested in the tent, their new home, than the wild life around them that made Viv smile with delight. Mr. Peak smiles at the trio staring at him before shrugging his shoulders, making his head bob up and down.

"Not exactly. It is spelt like 'peak' from 'mountain peak' but I am not tall, as you can see, so that joke would seem amusing to most. I thought that, since you were Dr. Young's requested; that you would have better common knowledge than those out there." Immediately, Fay felt ashamed at the joke she had just made and bows her head in an apology. Shan looks sharply at the small, round man before looking down at Fay and placing a caring arm around her. Fly looks at the ringmaster, noting how he seemed more surreal than real. He didn't seem human, but then again, neither did Shan or herself for that matter. _In fact, _she thought. _The only human looking one here is Fay._

She looks at Fay who smiles back at her before both women turn their attention to the small man before them. "This is where we will be living?" Fly asks.

Mr. Peak nods his head before walking inside the tent. His head popped out again so after he entered with that same smile plastered on his face. "Don't you want to see your new home?" He asks. Fay looks up at Shan who shrugs at her before walking inside. Fly whistles, to which Viv and Nick hear as they turn and look at her. She beckons them forward, making them bound towards her, before herding them inside.

It wasn't what they had been expecting.

Inside the tent was a small dining area, a table with enough chairs for all of them to sit down and eat. There was a blocked off part of the tent with a flap that, when Mr. Peak pulled it aside, revelled the bathroom. On the other side of the room were five beds, all lined up in a row and separated by curtains. Apart from that, there was a small kitchen and that was all. The tent was smaller inside than what it looked on the outside. They could hear voices on the other side of the tent ahead of them which makes Mr. Peak frown. "They shouldn't be here." He mummers before waddling forward and pulling back a piece of the tent, revealing a small door to which he enters. The five of them could easily hear the conversation that was taken place, even though they were whispering.

"I told you guys to leave this side alone." They heard Mr. Peak say in alarm.

"Calm down Peak Man." A sloppy man said. "This place a vacant, we ain't disturbing nothin."

"Yeah, chill for a sec man." Someone else replies in an equally sloppy voice, but female. "No one but us for miles."

"I told you kids not to enter this part of the tent." Mr. Peak says angrily. "You know that this tent is reserved."

"Yeah, but how do we know these 'children' actually exist?" The sloppy man replies.

"Those children haven't showed up yet for, what, like ten years or so." The woman says.

Fay didn't like how the conversation was heading as Fly looks angrily at the shadows dancing before them. Viv and Nick look at each other with worried glances as Shan tightens his grip on Fay. He knew how her tongue worked, and if anyone was going to yell at them, he would prefer it to be Fly. She was the oldest of them all and could act as the head of their dysfunctional family. It would be better that way too, since that would leave Fay with plenty of time to figure out a way to leave. Shan liked the idea of a safe haven for everyone; he just didn't like the circus.

"Those 'children' you speak of are here right now!" Mr. Peak almost screams. There was silence for a moment before laughter erupted from the couple.

"You know what, Mr. P," The man says though fits of laughter. "You're a downright riot."

"Let the good times roll." The woman says as a small 'pop' could be heard followed by more laughter.

Fly looks down at Fay who looks at the older woman and nods her head. They were both sick and tired of this banter and wanted it to end. Fly strides towards the gap in the tent and drags it open. She doesn't notice the cages lined against the side of the tent, nor does she notice the peep holes in the side of the tent or the various chains and locks. What she notices is a man and woman sitting on the ground, drunk and stoned like hell with an angry ringmaster standing before them.

They look up at Fly, their eyes barely managing to focus on her before widening in shock. "If you don't mind," Fly says sweetly, sending chills down the couple's spines. "Me and my family would prefer it if you didn't talk about us like we don't exist."

Fay shivers as Fly mentions 'family' as a sense of happiness over whelms her. They were her family, but she had never said that out loud. Fly had just declared it to them and, by doing so, made it look like she was in charge of their little family.

Fay frowns.

She wasn't too sure herself on who was the head of their family.

The couple walk out of the tent, looking both bemused and apologetic at the dysfunctional family before them. Mr. Peak smiles apologetically at them before closing up the fold in the tent. Fly stands beside Fay, who looks up at her, and winks. The younger smiles before returning her attention to the ringmaster before them.

"These are your beds," he begins, pointing to the beds on one side. "And that, over there, is the kitchen." He points to the other side of the tent. "The bathroom is behind that flap there and this is the dining table, where you all shall eat your meals."

Fay looks at the bed, the promise of a night off the ground looms over her as she feels droopy. Shan looks closely at the flap that hid the secret entrance to the other side of the tent. He was now more suspicious of the ringmaster's intentions more than ever. His grip tightens around the younger teen in his arms as she leans on his chest. Fly examines the kitchen before slamming her hands on the bench.

"Well this bites!" She says angrily. All four look at her in confusion. She looks at them all, as if something was wrong with them, before opening the fridge to revel it full with food. Viv and Nick look at the sight before them with wonder. Fay, being too tired to notice the fridge, cuddles into Shan's chest and nearly falls asleep in his warm embrace. Shan frowns at the sight before raising his brow in a silent question.

Fly looks at him bemused before pointing to the fridge, like it was obvious. "There's no booze here." She declares.

Viv and Nick stifle their laughs as Shan smiles sadly at her. "You sad, sad person." He says as Fay stirs in her sleep. "Is alcohol all that you think about?"

"Not all the time." Fly replies sheepishly. Fay shakes her head as she opens her eyes and sees the fridge. "Wow," she says, eyes wide open, yet still droopy. "We're loaded!" She looks up to Shan before closing her eyes and falling asleep again. Shan smiles down at her before picking her up and placing her on one of the beds. He pulls the sheet up so that it is covering her body before pulling the curtain across.

"What do you think?" He asks Fly. "Is this place alright?"

She shakes her head. "I don't what it is," she says. "But this place gives me chills. It feels like we haven't left that place at all."

Viv and Nick nod their heads in unison. "We know how you feel." Nick says. "We get the same feeling too."

"I wonder what it means." Viv says.

"I know what it means." Shan says. They all turn to him as he looks back at Fay. She was the most venerable of them all, yet somehow felt safe in their small tent. None of them could feel safe enough to fall asleep. Fay saw the beds and fell asleep instantly. Shan couldn't help but feel worried about her. She was everything to him; she meant more to him than the others. He loved her for who she is, not who she ways as she believed. And if she got hurt because of his decision, he would never forgive himself.

He turns to the others, still wide awake with the feel of a false security looming over them. They look at him, awaiting his decision. "We stay here until we find somewhere else to go." He says. They all nod their heads before climbing into their respectful beds. Shan sat on a chair and sighs, resting his head in his hands.

What was he going to do if he lost Fay again?


	4. Chapter 4

OMG O.o

I am sooooooooooooo sorry for not updating!

I've been busy with exams and all, and now that I'm done I forgot to update my stories and all and and and

*takes in deep breath*

I got my results back

Let's just say, I was disappointed in myself.

I just hope I get into the course I want.

I'll try and update more often now, I don't want to become lazy and all.

* * *

Dark Woods Circus

Chapter 4 –

Fay woke with a start, sweating and panting before placing attentive hand to her face. She looks to her left and sees Shan sleeping soundly next to her. She breaths a sigh of relief before sitting up and pulling away her side of the curtain. Fay sees Fly sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand as she reads what looks like a newspaper. She looks up at the sound of Fay waking up and smiles briefly towards her before looking back to the paper before her.

"Did you sleep well enough?" She asks Fay as the teen sits opposite the older woman. Fay nods her head as she leans across the table to see what she was reading.

It was, indeed, a newspaper, but not one that was what she assumed to be from the outside world. Fay's memories, the ones she thought were real, gave her a good indication into what a real newspaper should look like, and she could tell that this was not what it was meant to be like.

It had 'Circus Times' written in big, bold letters as the heading above a picture with an article underneath it. Fay tilts her head so that she has a better view of the paper and what the article states. Fly notices this and holds up the paper so that Fay can read what the article indicated. It was about a new birth in the circus, the birth of a healthy young boy that would follow his father in becoming a clown to entertain those who travel to the circus. The picture was a drawing of the boy and his joyful parents. It made Fay's heart sing at seeing such a marvellous thing as the main story of the paper.

"Their trying to act as normal as possible." Fly comments as she places it down and begins to read it again. Fay sits back down before twiddling her thumbs. She looks over to where Viv and Nick are sleeping, sharing only one bed due to their new condition, before standing and waling into the makeshift kitchen.

She opens the fridge to find it practically empty before opening up cupboard after cupboard in search of food to no avail. She finds the coffee and smells it before pulling away and wrinkling up her nose. "This stuff smells horrible." She declares before looking at Fly. "Does it taste that way?"

Fly takes another sip before looking up at Fay and grins. "Yep, it's pretty bad stuff compared to Koo Island." She says before laughing at her joke.

Fay frowns at the comment before pouring herself a mug of pain, hot water. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. She walks towards the table and slowly sips her drink.

Shan had just woken up when the ringmaster walks into the tent. Viv and Nick were still sprawled on their bed, deep in their sleep, as Shan pours himself a cup of coffee and takes a sip, to which he grudgingly swallows. He looks to Fly and Fay who giggle at his disgusted face before pouring his cup into the sink.

Mr. Peak exams those awake with a casual smile before speaking. "How did you find your first night here?" He asks those awake. Fly shrugs her shoulders as she continues to read the paper before her. Shan rinses his cup before answering. "It was nice to sleep in a bed instead of the floor." He comments.

Mr. Peak smiles at him before looking at Fay for some approval. She looks at him and shrugs her shoulders. "To be honest," she begins. "That's the first time I've ever been in a proper bed before. And I have to admit, it wasn't as nice as I thought it would be."

The ringmasters smile fades a little before soaring back to its former glory. "Not to worry, not to worry," he says. "A bed is a bed, nothing really all that special to it." He walks further into the tent to where the table is situated in the centre of the makeshift room.

Fly looks anxiously at him, for once removing her eyes from the paper before her. Shan slowly walks away from the sink to stand behind Fay who looks up at him blankly. Viv and Nick just turn in their bed, comfy and content with their dream.

"I have a few jobs for you to do." He addresses the trio before him. "I would like you to help around the circus, if that wouldn't be too hard to ask for, no?"

"I don't see why not." Shan replies. "After all, you have given us a place to stay. The least we can do is help out when needed."

The ringmaster smiles in agreement. "Good, good, splendid, splendid! I shall assign you all a task to complete right away!"

"You mean, right now?" Fay asks.

Mr. Peak looks at her a little puzzled before nodding his head. "Of course right now. There are jobs to do, things to prepare for. I don't have all day, you know."

Fay looks down before casting a sideways glance towards Fly. A silent communication between the pair occurs to which Fly voices Fay's concern. "What about Viv and Nick?" She says. "I would prefer it if one of us remains here while they sleep."

This statement didn't rest well with the ringmaster as he purses his lips briefly before returning to his trade mark smile. Fay was beginning to think that he had a permanent smile hidden behind hi frowns at all times, ready for any situation. "Fine then," he says to Fly. "I will allow you to remain here until they wake up. As for you two," he returns his gaze to Fay before looking briefly towards Shan whose hand was gently resting on Fay's shoulder. "I will expect you to attend to a few tasks before lunch. Is that clear?"

Fay nods her head as Shan gives the ringmaster a mock salute. "Understood, sir." Shan replies, causing a small laugh from the girl before him and a sly smile for Fly next to him. Mr. Peak was less than amused, although his smile never faded from his face.

"Very well, then." He says before leaving the tent. He pokes his head back in to gaze at Shan. "You're first task is to help Ms. Bell with her flowers, understand?" He says. He left without leaving them the time to answer.

Fay looks up at Shan who grins down at her. "You are quiet mean, you know that right?" She tells him.

He looks at her, puzzled, before leaning down and nipping her ear gently. "Now why do you say that?" He asks her as she giggles in response.

"Come on," she says. Standing up, she strides towards the tent entrance before turning back to look at him. "We have to go and meet Ms. Bell after all."


	5. Chapter 5

Wow... This chapter is REALLY long.

But, in my defence, you guys deserve it since you've waited for so long.

Oh, and I didn't know how to leave it, exactly. I wanted to leave on a really good cliff-hanger.

I'm going to introduce Neru and Haku's characters in the next chapter (I think their the two tall people dancing around. Might be mistaken though)

When I find names and background history for them, that's when the chapter will begin.

As usual, any kind of feedback is helpful.

Thanks for sticking with me guys, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 5 –

Fay was more than excited about helping out around the circus.

She, along with her friends, had just been given a home; somewhere they belong; somewhere safe and away from Koo Island. The least she could do, for all that she was being given, was to help out when it was needed.

Shan tags along a little reluctantly. His gut was telling him to leave now, to get away from the circus. But he couldn't leave, knowing that Fay was smiling and happy. She looked like she wanted to stay, that this false sense of security was what she had been searching for, and that she just wanted to accept the first thing that came into her mind.

"I wonder where Ms. Bell is." Fay muses as she holds onto Shan's hand. She turns to look at him as he just shrugs.

"I'm not sure. He didn't say where. You think, cause she's tending to flowers, that she might be where the flowers are grown?"

Fay stops walking and looks at him. "Don't get smart with me." She says. "We don't even know where the flower beds are."

"Then why don't you ask around."

"Why don't _you_ ask around?"

Fly waits for the twins to wake up when she hears a noise outside the tent. It sounded like the shuffling of feet to her mixed with the whispering of voices. Looking to the sleeping figures of the twins, Fly decides that quick peek at what was outside the tent.

Stepping out, she looks around to see no one in sight. Frowning, she turns back to enter the tent when the sound of a twig snap caught her attention again.

Spinning around, she catches the glimpse of someone around the edge of the tent; the only thing visible for a moment was a foot before it snaked out of sight. Someone was stalking around the tent, their makeshift home, and it made the women feel tense and uneasy. She had a horrible feeling in her gut, a feeling that had appeared ever since they arrived at the circus. She knew something was not right, but couldn't tell for sure.

She didn't want to wait any longer to find out.

Looking behind her, into the tent very briefly to make sure the twins were still asleep, she slowly walks around the tent to see who that strange person was.

Fay was walking ahead of Shan in a fit of rage.

She could tell, no, more like feel that he didn't want to help these people. The way he acted towards Mr. Peak was fair enough, she remembered seeing him act that way towards Dr. Slur.

Ahhhh! The name of the good doctor brought a wry smile to her face. She would have loved to see his face when he realized that five of his most prized deformed were missing and loose out in the world.

Yet, that still left Fay wondering how she managed to create memories of the outside world when, from what she could tell, she had been living on Koo Island all her life as Angel, or even the other personalities before her, not before Angel but before Fay Diana.

How could her mind reconstruct a new personality over her original one, then to construct a new one over that one and again and again, repeating to process to where she was now?

It amazed her that her mind could construct such a thing, and one thing she had failed to notice in her whole time in finding out the truth was that the limp in her left leg, the one that her mind said was crushed in a car accident, was fine again.

She wasn't limping.

Her leg was fine. It was the memory, the false memory of the accident, which caused her body to limp.

Without even realizing it, Fay walks into a fenced off area, the fragrance of flowers wafting to her nose.

She stops walking and looks around. She was now standing in a radiant garden, a garden that had its own glow about it. Every flower shone brightly like it held a light of its own. They were the most amazingly beautiful flowers she had even seen. Even her false memories never held flowers quiet like these.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" She heard someone say.

Fay turns to look at Shan, who shakes his head and points to a lady standing before them. She was dressed in clothes that Fay could only describe as suiting the early 1960's era, but she was only able to come to that conclusion though her false memories, the memories she had constructed herself.

"Are you Ms. Bell?" Fay asks. She could see Shan walk towards her and grip her hand tightly. She knew that it wasn't out of fear but just as any male would mark their territory and protect their own, he was showing that she belonged to him. Normally, she would find it sweet that he was acting so defensively. But in their current circumstances, she felt it was a little unnecessary.

The woman before them nods her head, a delicate motion like the flowers bobbing in the wind, as she responds. "Yes, I am Lucinda Bell. Please, no formalities here. Call me Lucy."

Fay smiles at the woman warmly, to which she responds in kind. "Now, what can I do for you two today?" She asks as she walks into the garden, a watering can in hand.

"Mr. Peak asked us to come and help you out. So, what is there for us to do?" Fay replies.

"Mr. Peak asked you both to come and help?" She asks, looking at both Fay and Shan with thoughtful and examining eyes. She found Fay to be intriguing, for she seemed normal enough yet Lucy could tell that she was different somehow. As to why, she could not place her finger on it.

Shan, on the other hand, she looked with more caution than was needed. She had seen people with grey skin like the dead, hair as white as an old man and eyes as red as the devil. But in her whole life, she had never encounted a blue man; skin like her blue-bells, hair as blue as the deepest depths of the ocean and eyes as blue as the sky. She felt wonder towards this creature who was standing before her, and knew that no amount of time would lead her to get used to his blue presence.

Shan, noticing her glance, eyes her menacingly before gripping Fay's hand tighter. The teen just looks up and slides her hand out of his. The move was smooth and swift, and before Shan even realized what had just happened, Fay was already moving towards Lucy.

"How can we help?" Fay repeats the question.

The woman blinks, the teens voice breaking her momentary silence, as she smiles. "Well, if you're up to it, could you please treat to the flowers in my garden bed? I have a few other chores to attend to first, and the garden has been mistreated for quiet a while. Do you think you can tend to all its needs?"

"Like what?"

"Well, there's the weeding, the watering, fertilizing, and the poison to make sure no insects try to eat them."

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the beauty of nature?" Shan asks.

Fay glances at him, the look she shot said that his remark was rude and not needed. Lucy glares at him and raises her nose in the air before turning back towards Fay, the kind smile returning to her lips again.

"Do you think you're up to the task?" She asks.

Fay nods her head eagerly. "Yep yep! You can leave it up to us. We'll take care of this garden, won't we Shan?" She says.

Shan mumbles something under his breath, something that sounded like a 'yes' mixed with a curse Fay had never heard anyone say before.

Lucy smiles at the duo before leaving them in the garden alone. Mr. Peak was right when he spoke of Shan, the blue one. She had better be careful around him; otherwise things might get out of hand for everyone at the circus. She had other things that needed her attention, and she didn't need another problem on her shoulders. She already had to look after their last two instalments. They we're proving to be a little troublesome.

Fly hides inside the tent, terrified at what she had just seen and heard. It couldn't be right; it had to be a mistake. Her eyes must be lying to her and her ears deceiving. Her senses must be going haywire or something. She had to get everyone out of there, before it was too late. She didn't want to put them through anymore pain.

Viv and Nick had lost their bodies and, in turn, their own dreams and lives that went along with that freedom.

Shan was forever blue and thus an outcast to the world. Even among the deformed, he was considered an outcast. He would never fit in anywhere.

Fay had lost all her memories of all her personalities. She would forever remain incomplete, searching for something else to fill her lonely memories, the emptiness she feels when they recall the past and all she has are fake memories. A life like that was beyond anything Fly could comprehend. Fay was indeed a strong girl.

And Fly herself knew she could never, in her entire life, live among those on the outside. She knew that her rotting flesh and bandage skin would only get worse as she got older, but it wasn't something that she could help. She had only known a life in Koo Island, with skin that rotted and fell off her body whenever the air touched it. She would give anything in the world to be like Fay, or Viv and Nick. Even Shan's fate seemed brighter than her own.

But she had to hurry. If they didn't leave soon, their fate would be locked away behind bars.

Fay was watering the plants when Shan walks up behind her and kneels down next to her. She looks up at him briefly, before returning back to the plants. She was mad at how he reacted to Lucy. The woman had done nothing to offend either her or Shan, yet he got all defensive when the woman spoke to them, even earlier than that; when they met her.

"Fay," Shan says. "Fay, I think we need to talk."

"About what?" She asks.

"About this place, about Mr. Peak and Lucy, about out family, about us."

"I have nothing to say."

"I know you have something to say. I can see it on your face, it's written all over it. You want to say something about how I'm wrong, about how we should feel lucky at having been given this haven. But this place isn't what you think it is: it's not a haven, it's far from it. Fay, you need to listen to reason and come to understand that this place is a prison."

"Now why would you say that?" Fay says, her voice growing in anger. "Are you saying that just to give these people a bad image? Are you saying this because you don't like it hear? Tell me, Shan, tell me why you don't like it hear? You said that Marita was the only one in Koo Island that was willing to help us. She left us that note that lead us here, so why would she lead us to another prison?"

"Marita Young is dead, Fay. She's been dead for a long time, and you know it. Don't continue to live in denial and face the facts: Marita Young is dead, that letter is a fake and this place is a prison. Maybe not now, but it will end up being another Koo Island. I can feel it."

"Then take you're feelings somewhere else." Fay replies coldly. "Cause if that's the case, we don't need them."

Shan glares at her for a while longer before standing and walking away.

Fay beings tending to the garden again before chucking the small shovel away in her frustration and screams. She was so angry: angry at herself, angry at Shan, even angry at Marita. She was angry at everyone and everything. Curling up in a ball, Fay feels the beginning of fresh tears slide down her cheek as she closes her eyes. She didn't want to remain angry at everyone and everything. The real person she was angry at was herself. Why couldn't she remember when she wanted to? Why could she remember Shan and the others? Why did she disappear?

Shan pauses briefly before the tent, contemplating returning to Fay and apologising to her, when he hears shouting coming from inside. He frowns when he hears Fly scream "Let me go!"

"What's going on in hear?" Shan yells as he walks inside.

Fly was being tied up by the couple from the other night.

Viv and Nick had been woken up and were being guided to the flap at the end of the tent.

Mr. Peak was looking at the scene before him with a smile on his face. He notices Shan and smiles greedily at him as he clicks his fingers.

On either side of him, Shan notices two men advance towards him.

He ducks under the first lunge, while he plows his fist into the next. He turns back to the first one and punches him in the face with a swift right hook.

Satisfied, Shan goes to tend to Fly when he is tackled to the ground. His head was being pushed into the ground as he felt someone bind his hands together. Struggling, he manages to kick one of his offenders in the back, to no avail. The man completed tying his hands before being lifted to his feet his hair. Wincing at the pain, he struggles to his feet as Mr. Peak faces him, having to stand on a chair to get enough height.

"So," he says, his grin eating away at Shan's eyes, boring into the other teens retinas. If what people said were true, about the eyes being the windows into ones soul, then what was happening at that moment felt like that exact thing. Shan felt that Mr. Peak was staring right into the very being of the teens self and it made his nerves jump in panic.

"What will you do now?"

Shan glares back at the man's sickly sweet smile. "I don't know, you tell me." Was his response.

Mr. Peak's grin, if it was even possible, grew even wider. He leans in towards the teen, a strange glint in his eyes, as he responds "You shall soon see for yourself."

The flap was fully open now. Shan could see the iron cages that were lined out for them. He was right when he said the circus would become their prison again, he just didn't know how right he was. He just hoped Fay would remain safe. After all, she wasn't like the others.

Fay sneezes as she looks around, the feeling of a million pairs of eyes boring into her. She knew someone was watching her, she could feel it on the back of her neck. But what was even worse was the distinct feeling that she was in some sort of danger.

Maybe Shan was right after all.

Maybe Marita Young was dead.

Maybe this place would become a prison.

She hoped, for all their sakes, that he was wrong.

How was she to know that it was the opposite way around, and that she was in more danger than the others because she wasn't entirely like them? How was she to know that she would end up in more pain than them? And how was she supposed to know that the pair of eyes she was feeling on her backs were the result of what happened at the circus, and that her nightmare was only beginning.

All of their nightmares were.

It was only a mater of time before their fears caught up to them.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm actually having more trouble writing the last few chapters for 'Love Behind Screen Doors' than I am for this!

Strange how these things happen, isn't it? *Random thinking pose*

Anyway, I can feel the story line for this fic getting deeper and deeper by the minute. And I seems a little (excuse the swearing here people) fucked up.

But that's how I feel it's gotten to.

And now that I think about it, I've decided to make the song how this story will end. So what you're reading is what happens _before _the actual song.

I kinda like that~!

I'm not sure if I'm correct in this, but I believe that the two dancing girls at the beginning of the song, the girls with the long legs, are Haku and Neru.  
If I am incorrect, please message me and let me know. I want to try and get everything as correct as possible.

So you know who is who (and for the introduction of characters) he is the list:

Meiko – Lou 'Fly' Delux  
Kaito – Shan  
Miku – Fay Diana (aka Angel)  
Rin and Len – Viv and Nick Slur  
Neru – Izabellz  
Haku – Senz

Enjoy~!

* * *

Chapter 6 –

"Did you see her?" The girl asks, her long legs tucked under her body as her white hair falls over her face, hiding her disgusting red eyes.

She had been told, by many, that she was ugly; her white hair and red eyes shining through the darkness and making every man, woman and child she met turn in fear.

The circus found her, an abandoned child, and raised her. But that wasn't enough for them; they wanted more.

The other girl, looking to be the same age as Fay with long blonde hair in a single pigtail to the side of her head, sighs as she struggles to sit down. She stretches her legs, the pain coursing up her body like a bullet as she winces briefly before turning to her friend and partner.

"She seemed pretty normal enough to me." The teen says. "Yet I could tell there was something different about her, just by looking at her."

"Do you think they intend to do…?" The woman asks, not wishing to finish her sentence as a hard lump forms in her throat.

The teen nods her head. "She's different, but not different enough. She hasn't met their standards yet."

The woman sighs and shakes her head. That was all they needed; another child's life and freedom, burned before their very eyes.

"Senz," the teen says.

The woman looks up lazily, sleep overcoming her. She didn't want to sleep, but that was all she was capable of during the day. She had become a nocturnal creature; the sun blinding her while the moon felt like warms rays on a nice, sunny day.

"Senz, do you think we could help her?"

"I don't think she would leave." The woman replies. "Think about how she came: all those others like us. They all came together. I can tell that she wouldn't leave without them, I'm sure of it."

"Then we can't save her."

"No, we can't. We never could. If we can't save ourselves, then how do you expect us to save someone else?"

The teen could only nod her head in despair as she struggles to lie next to Senz. "Why did they do this to us?" She asks in a whisper.

Senz could only look down at the girl as she rests her head on the others shoulder. "I don't know, Izabellz. I simply don't know."

Fay was finishing off the last touches to the garden when Lucy returns. "I see you've done a wonderful job here." She says, startling the teen.

Fay smiles up at her. "It's the least I could do. After all; you've all give us a home."

Lucy smiles sweetly at her as Fay returns to the garden. Examining the teen, she smiles as she understands why Mr. Peak thought she was the right one. There had been many more before this girl, many more that didn't survive.

But not this one.

Fay was different.

She was special.

She had the same air about her that reminded Lucy so much of that man.

The man who carried out their work somewhere else.

"Are you alright Lucy?" Fay asks, worry in her voice.

The woman shakes her head and smiles. "Don't worry about me, dear. I'm fine. But you look thirsty and hungry! Would you like something to eat?"

"Well, I am a bit thirsty…"

"Good! Then I'll go and grab us some lunch. I won't be long." Lucy says as she leaves Fay in the garden alone again.

That man had promised her something worthwhile for his betrayal; and she was beginning to think Fay was what he had promised. Lucy grins as she pours a jug of lemonade. "Let's see how our dear Fay reacts to this."

Mr. Peak was walking around when he notices a figure in the distance. Not many people could find their way to the circus on their own; hardly anyone found it by accident. He puts on his famous smile as he was towards the stranger.

"Hello!" He booms. "And welcome to the Dark Woods Circus!"

"It really is quiet a fine establishment." The figure hisses, trying to mask his voice through a lisp. "It would be even grander with a blue man."

Mr. Peak's smile leaves his face. "Ah! So it seems you have returned." He says. "Come to steal our secrets again?"

The man laughs. "Oh no, I was just seeing how my puppets were coping, now that they're free and all."

"They're doing very well." Mr. Peak replies, his smile slowly returning to his face. "You have sent us some exquisite specimens to examine. I do hope you continue sending them in the future."

The man growls as Mr. Peak looks at an imaginary watch on his wrist. "Oh dear me, it looks like our little reunion must wait." He says, cheerily. "I have a few things to attend to now."

"I did not send them to you, and I would have never sent them to you. They escaped, and I want them back." He hisses.

"My, my, my." Mr. Peak says, mocking the man. "Are my ears deceiving me? Are you giving me orders? Me, the grand master of your scheme?"

"I only want what is mine." The man replies calmly.

Mr. Peak smiles. "Ah, but you see, I too have plans for this group. And you know how I feel when my plans are ruined." He begins to walk away when a thought crosses his mind. "Although," he shouts back. "I do believe you owed us a thing or two from the past, especially dear Lucinda. Let's call them your payment to us and be on your way, shall we?"

The name of the woman causes the man to wince as the ringmaster walks away, triumphantly.

He was glad that the debt was paid in the glorious addition to his line up of freaks.

Shan punches one of the iron bars to no avail; the sound of the shackles around his wrist clanging against the bars as the ones on his ankles shift slightly as he moves. Blood was pouring out of a fresh wound on his knuckles.

"Don't do that again Shan." Viv pleads with the older teen. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

"I can't stop Viv," Shan replies. "Not until I know Fay is safe and away from this place." He pounds his fist into the bars again, causing a sharp cry of pain to escape his lips.

"This is pointless!" Fly yells. "We can't get out of these stupid things and you know it. We're stuck in here forever, and there is no way of getting out. I'm as upset about the whole situation as you are, along with the safety of Fay, but you have _got _to listen to reason right now. Pounding fist after fist into iron bars that aren't even budging with each passing blow isn't going to help our cause. All we can do now is wait for an opening, and when we see it, take it."

"And how long will that be? How long will we have to wait?" Shan replies angrily back. "Fay is in danger _right now!_ And you just want to wait for the right moment to escape? I can't sit here and do nothing. I _have _to go and save her!"

"But how are you supposed to do that?" Nick asks, adding to the conversation at the mention of Fay. "How are you going to get yourself out, Fay to safety, and then come back to rescue us?"

Shan stops hitting the bars and looks to the boy. Viv could tell what was going though her brother's head and she was shaking her own, tears streaming down her face, as she clamps her hand to her ear. She didn't want to hear what he was thinking out loud.

"What are you getting at Nick?" Shan asks calmly.

"What I'm saying is this place isn't like Koo Island, where there were so many opportunities to escape. What I'm saying is this place may not be heavily guarded, but that doesn't mean it's easier to get out of here. It's the opposite, actually. It just proves that it is virtually imposable to get out of here; that were trapped here for life."

"And so you're just giving up?" Shan spits back. Nick winces as Viv begins to sob loudly.

"No, I'm not." He answers quietly.

"That's not how it sounded before." Shan says angrily. "It sounded like you _had _given up. So, which is it? Have you, or haven't you?"

The sound of someone opening the flap silences them as Mr. Peak enters, grinning wildly. "How are my pets today?" He says as he walks towards Fly's cage.

She growls at him before replying "Bite me." To which the ringmasters grin widens.

Two more people enter behind Mr. Peak as he walks around the different cages, weaving in and our in a perfect circle.

"We had tried to make you most comfortable, but we do have limitations here. We need you to put in if you want anything in return."

"Does that make us your dancing monkeys?" Shan asks with venom in his voice.

Mr. Peak just smiles down at the blue man before inclining his head towards the twins. The pair that was at the door unlocks the cage where Viv and Nick were and begin to drag them out.

Viv looks around, alarmed. "Let go of us!" She yells at the pair to which she receives a slap to the face. Nick winces, feeling his twins pain, as a small hand print begins to redden on his face, while his twins face remains print free.

"Where do you think you're going?" Fly yells as Shan tries to reach towards the struggling twins.

Mr. Peak sees this sad attempt and smiles as he clicks his fingers.

Two more people come out with a cattle prod in each hand. Shan backs away in fear as he sees the electricity course up and down the metal. Reaching in, they begin to electrocute Shan, his cries and screams of pain ringing loudly inside the tent. Fly had to look away and cover her ears with her hands, trying to erase the sound of his screams. Viv and Nick were gone by the time the torturing began.

Mr. Peak leaves them to their devices, smiling at the sound of pain and misery.

That was what his circus was about: the true despairs and horror of the human heart.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm sorry for this pour excuse for a chapter. I know it's short (like, really short) but it was all I could think for the moment, and to be honest: it's not really that bad.

The plot is thickening, don't you agree?

I'm going to try and update as frequently as I can, but don't expect much if I don't update often.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. I working on the next one right now.

Enjoy~!

* * *

Chapter 7 –

Fay was still in the garden when Lucy returns, a glass of lemonade in her hand.

Looking up, the teen smiles at the older woman and takes the glass from her hand with a quiet 'thank you' before sipping it.

Lucy looks the girl up and down again, when she notices Mr. Peak walk towards them. His smile was happier than usual, and Lucy could tell that something good had just happened. He may smile all the time, but those at the circus were the only ones to know when their ring master was truly happy.

"Lucy!" He bellows, making the teen jump in surprise. "And our little Fay! How is work going?" He asks.

"The gardens coming along quiet well." Lucy comments. "Our young Fay here has been doing a remarkable job."

Fay gives a nervous laugh as she rubs the back of her head. Looking up she meets the ringmaster's eyes, her smile fading. "Shan walked off, a little angry. I was wondering if you had seen him today."

Mr. Peak forced the smile on his face to remain cheerful and innocent. He didn't want his new test subject to catch on.

"I'm sorry to hear about your argument, but I haven't seen Shan all day. We've been busy, getting ready to welcome paying customers and all."

Fay lowers her head and nods it solemnly. She wanted to apologise to him, but she didn't know what for and why. She just wanted to see him again.

Izabellz had sunk out of her tent again, trying her hardest not to be seen, as she watched the scene before her unfold. She was being tricked by Mr. Peak; she could tell that from the smile he wore. He always used that smile when he was keeping something hidden.

Lucy was looking like she hadn't seen the slight change on the ringmaster's face, although everyone at the circus had become accustomed to how he worked. Even Izabellz had to admit that she was getting used to the ringmaster's ever changing moods.

She needed to get to the girl alone, and tell her of the dangers she was facing.

The teen lifts her head slightly, as if hearing the tall girl's thoughts, and gazes at her with glazed eyes.

Izabellz stifles a gasp.

She had been drugged. She couldn't hear what was going on around her, and soon she would fait, fall into a dead like sleep. She would end up waking as a different person. Izabellz couldn't allow that.

Even though she knew it would amount to nothing, Izabellz began to speak to the girl without the use of sound, mouthing each word as if she was conducting a normal conversation.

"You have to get away from this place." She mouths. "You are in terrible danger."

As if Fay could understand what the tall blonde was saying, she frowns and replies in the same fashion "Why should I leave?"

Izabellz was surprised at the response; not just for the fact that the girl was conscious enough to respond, but also because she didn't see the danger right before her. "This place isn't safe."

"It's the only place we can be?"

_We?_ Izabellz thought. _There are others here?_

"They are a lost cause." She mouths back. "You can't save them."

Fay's frown deepens as the effects of the drug begin to wear off. "How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me: if you came here for a haven, you're better off in the woods."

"Why would you say something like that?"

"Because before I came to this place I was a normal girl. I came here by accident and they used my innocence as a tool. They stretched my legs and only my legs." Izabellz slowly stretches out a leg. The reaction on the girls face was all she needed to know that Fay was now intrigued. She brings her leg back and hides once more. "They will do worse to you if you don't hurry and leave."

"But how can I do anything? Why would they do something like that?" Fay mouths. If she was using her voice, it would be tinted with panic: shaking uncontrollably with an unknown fear, a fear that grips her very being.

"Because you bare the mark." Izabellz manages to say before she hears an alarm. She looks around to see a group of people running towards her. She had been spotted.

Lucy and Mr. Peak look around to see Izabellz. The girl's eyes widen in horror as she begins to run away. Turning to Fay, Mr. Peak smiles down at her before leaving both Fay and Lucy alone.

Fay knew she had to play innocent, to pretend she didn't exactly see the girl in order to find out some facts. "Who was that?" Fay asks.

Lucy shakes her head before taking the glass from Fay's hand. "She's no one important. Don't worry about it."

"But that alarm, why did it go off?"

"Well, it's just letting us know that one of our attractions has gone missing, that's all."

"So what is she then? Is she an attraction?"

Lucy locks eyes with the teen, and in that moment, the answer was given without a word having to be said. Fay now knew the truth.

Walking past the woman, Fay stalks towards the tent where the girl was standing. She wanted to find some answers, and she wanted them fast.


	8. Chapter 8

I lost my muse for writing cause I wasn't stimulated and when I went on yesterday I found a lot of my stuff's time had expired.

I was writing two fan fics that I hadn't saved as a word document that I have now lost. *sighs*

Oh well, I still remember them. I learnt my lesson.

Anyway, I regained my muse while listening to a song on deviantart, a song with no words.

The person had created the song of a flash comic someone made and while I was listening to it, I couldn't help but think of everyone in this story: of their trouble and the trouble that will come. It made me feel like writing again, and I have. In that one night, I listened to this song over and over again and wrote this chapter.

So, if you would like the full experience of the chapter (to understand where my mind set was at the time) I shall include a link at the end of the chapter.

But! Before I do so, I must thank the person who wrote the song for they were MY inspiration.

Thank you geo1992 for writing such a beautiful and inspiring song. This chapter is all thanks to you.

Enjoy~

* * *

Chapter 8 –

The alarm startles both Shan and Fly as they look around.

Men and women were stalking into their tent for a brief look before running off, leaving a gap in the flap of the tent, enabling Fly a peek at the commotion outside.

She could see the entire circus scattered around the place, seemingly searching for someone or something.

And by their expressions, Fly could tell it was something important.

The flap rustles open again as Viv and Nick return; the boys cheeks streaked with dried tears as the girls lay dry, her eyes emotionless. They walk towards the corner of the tent and sit down, Viv's head tilted down to keep her eyes hidden behind her fringe. Nick's eyes were the only ones that Shan and Fly could see. And in that instant, they wished they couldn't for the look of disappear and shame was evident.

Fly shakes her cadge, demanding to be free and claiming that they were monsters.

Shan hung his head, gripping the bars in anger as tears fell from his eyes too.

Viv never lifted her head, even though the angry shouts from outside were increasing and Fly's murderous shouting echoed inside the brightly coloured tent.

Fay could of sworn she had just heard Fly crying out in rage and anger, but thought otherwise as she proceeded towards what looked like an abandoned tent. All that she had come across had said that they were too busy to tend to her questions, and told her to go to the run down tent, mistaking her for one of their own. She had no choice but to listen to what they said, hoping some answers may lie behind the tent flaps.

Pulling aside one of the flaps, she enters the tent.

What she sees is a woman, young or old was hard to tell, whose head rested on the side of a pole that kept the side of the tent protruding outwards. Her arms rest along her chest in a criss-cross motion, hands dangling on either side. He legs stretch out to the other side of the tent, the pants looking like material that would be better used as curtains. The black material slacks were obviously hand made, the stitching evident along the side. But that wasn't what shocked Fay the most. It was the length of the woman's legs. Her feet were touching the other side of the tent, the tent being nearly three meters on its own.

The woman notices the young girl's presence and sits up a little, her slouching posture giving extra length to her already long legs. Fay looks at her eyes, at the dark intense stare, as the woman tilts her head back, revealing more of her face.

She was scowling.

"What are you doing here?" She finally says. Fay jumps at her voice, not expecting it to be so quiet and gentle. "What do you want?"

"I-I was told to come here." Fay replies.

The woman stares at the teen for a few seconds more before sighing. She sits up, dragging her legs along the ground, before resting her back properly against the metal pole.

"It would be best if you leave." She says. "Now."

"I'm sorry." Fay says, a little embarrassed. "I didn't know anyone was in here, let alone resting. I'll leave you now."

Fay turns around and is about to exit when she hears the woman say "No."

The teen turns around.

"No, I mean you should leave this circus, leave this forest." The woman says. "This place is dangerous, and turns those who venture too close into tormented beings whose lives serve no purpose."

"Wha-? How can you say that?" Fay declares. "Everyone's life has a purpose, ahs a meaning." The woman looks up, apparently startled by Fay's outburst as the teen continues. "I felt like that not too long ago, but it was only thanks to those around me that I could pick myself up and believed I was important, that I meant something more to someone else. That's my purpose now, to live for those who care for me. I… I don't want to hurt them any more."

Tears form in the teen's eyes as she recalls what she has learnt. She wasn't Fay, but someone else. And even that person, to her, seemed more like a dream than a reality. So how can she believe in a dream, when even the dream is shrouded in lies?

Shouting distracts her thoughts as the sound of moving feet increases.

The woman looks around before moving something aside a little. "Quickly." She whispers, pointing to the crates she had just moved. "Hide behind here."

Choosing to ask questions later, Fay does as the woman requests as she bounds over the woman's legs and quickly slides into the gap that was just formed.

It was small, and cramped, but it was better than being seen.

The sound of a struggle could be heard as a girl's cries of pain rang in the tent. Shouting, along with a few foul words, followed by the sound of something hard coming into contact with flesh was heard before the people left and the woman opened up the gap once more.

Fay saw the girl from before, her long legs bleeding from scratches and knife wounds while her head bleed from being hit quiet hard in the head. Her eyes were closed, and for a second Fay thought she was dead. But she soon notices the small rise of the girl's chest.

"This is the truth behind the circus." The woman says. At the sound of her elder's voice, Izabellz opens up an eye and looks to Fay. She holds up a hand, shaking, as she holds onto Fay's. "Izabellz." She says before falling into a deep sleep.

Fay turns to the woman, stuck for words, before the woman shakes her head. "Izabellz is only sixteen. She came here by accident, and they took it as an opportunity to stretch her legs. I was here long before she came. Two is far better than one, if you are able to get such a gift."

"Wh-why would they do such a thing?" Fay asks, her speech beginning to slur a little.

"Because they can." The woman replies. "All of us here, we are all orphans. We have no home, no family, nothing and no one to claim us. We are expendable. We are worthless. We are resources for those who call this 'research'. Our lives mean nothing to them; our existence is only to be used as test subjects, gunnie pigs to their wild whims. We are only means to an end. And once we have been all used up, we are discarded into the forest, left to die. We are freaks. We have no hope, no dreams, no life. The only thing keeping me from ending it all is that girl over there. She is the only thing keeping me strong. If not for her, I would be long gone from this place. I would be somewhere else, I guess."

"Then why didn't you?" Fay asks.

The woman smiles a sad smile as she hangs her head. "If I did, then she would have been alone." Looking up, she holds out a hand to Fay. Reluctantly, the teen takes the hand in hers and squeezes it gently.

"I'm Fay." She says, thinking the delayed introduction was more than needed.

The woman smiles before squeezing the hand gently. "Senz."

"So, how did you get here?" Fay asks. Her vision was getting blurrily and her body becoming numb. The only thing preventing her from sleep was the soft pressure on both hands and the conversation she was having at hand. But even the teen knew that soon she would lose consciousness.

Senz smiles sadly, again, before shaking her head. "It is best if we don't recall the past. It is something better left forgotten."

"Okay, then can you tell me about this places history?"

"That is something I can't do." Senz replies. "This place, as far as I know, has no history. It's existed for as along as this forest has been named. At least, that's what I had heard."

"But that's impossible." Fay says. "I mean, how can a place have no history? It's like it's a…"

"A what, Fay?"

"A ghost circus?"

"No, not that, but you were on the right path."

"The remains of a shrine?"

"No, Fay. Think harder. What is it like?"

"A refugee camp."

Senz nods her head.

"This place was a place for wanders and travellers. Now it is a place for the damned. You are trapped here forever now Fay. You had you're chance to escape, and you lost it."

Senz looks up and Fay gasps in horror. The look in Senz's eyes, they weren't natural. It was a look of joy, or happiness, and of blood lust.

"You will join the circus, Fay." She says, her voice sending chills down the teen's spine, turning her blood to ice. "You will become a part of the circus. You will never leave, and your blood will flow on an endless parade for all who wish for it."

"Senz, you're freaking me out right now." Fay says, pulling her hand out of the woman's grip.

Senz tilts her head to the side, her maniac smile slowly creeping down into a grim look.

"But Fay, didn't you know?" She says.

"Know? Know what?"

"But I thought you knew."

"Knew what? What am I supposed to know?"

"But Fay, dear Fay..."

"What? Tell me what I'm supposed to know?"

"You're fell asleep minutes ago Fay."

The teen looks back at the woman, a blank expression overcoming her face, as she lays back to where Izabellz should be resting. But all she hit was the hard, cold ground. She stares up at the roof of the tent as Senz's legs rest on her chest.

She was dreaming, yet everything felt so real.

"When did I fall asleep?"

"When I grabbed your hand, after I told you my name."

"For real?"

"Yes."

"Then can I ask you something."

"A statement, not a question. Ask."

"Why are you still here? Why haven't you disappeared like Izabellz has?"

"That's because I am not Senz."

"Then who are you?"

Senz smiles.

"I am Angel."

* * *

The link to the page where the song is on is .com/gallery/24250483#/d2wuprx

This is also the person who writes the flash comic, so check out her work too if you want.


	9. Chapter 9

Yay! Another chapter done. I feel really good at the moment.

Things just keep poping into my head. Gah! Too many ideas!

Anyway, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Please leave a comment, it's nice reading what people think.

And don't worry if you're confused right now: it's meant to be confusing.

Any questions, and I'll be happy to answer them.

Ta ta for now~!

* * *

**Chapter 9 –**

Fay looks up to see Dr. Slur looking over her cage, a sad smile on his face.

A mixture of emotions play though her all at once: rage, fear, relief, anger, sadness, love, loneliness, longing, regret.

How could someone she resent have such a huge impact on her?

"Hello Fay." He says, tapping a few of the bars as he walks around to face her better. "You know, I've missed you."

"But I haven't." She replies, yet she was unable to keep the sense of longing and loneliness out of her voice. She curses herself on the inside for appearing so frail and weak.

"You're voice betrays your words, Fay." He says as he stops walking and bends down to about eye level with the teen before him. He reaches a hand inside the cage, running his fingers down her long green hair, before pulling back, a few lose strands caught in his hand and falling like pools of water out of his palm.

"I'm sorry that you all ended up in this place." He says. "I never intended to let you go."

"You kept us in a prison." Fay replies. "Of course we would wish for freedom."

"Even so, you should have known better than to come here."

"Why should I know that? Why do you care?"

"Because I created you."

This causes Fay to reel back in surprise.

He created her? What did he mean by that? Was it like how he created Viv and Nick? Was he her father? Or was it because of the things he had done before, the personalities she had manifested in her mind? It was his fault that she was now Fay instead of Angel. Was he saying that he created Angel? That even she was another false personality, a false self like the others? What was her true self?

Dr. Slur smiles, as if having read her mind, as he turns around and leans on the cage bars.

"You are not my child, Fay." He says. "But you are very dear to me, dearer than my own two children actually. I have a greater desire for your safety than of my own flesh and blood. I know it may seem harsh, but there are reasons behind my words and actions. Reasons that you, yourself, asked of me to keep hidden."

"But if I asked you to keep it hidden, then wouldn't me asking to know be alright?"

"Now tell me Fay, why would I listen to a shadow of the person you once were?"

Fay knew that the doctor was right, yet she couldn't shake a sinking feeling that Dr. Slur was keeping something hidden from her. Something different to what he implied she asked him to keep hidden.

"So Fay," the doctor says, disturbing her silence. "How did you get here?"

"You mean in this cage?" She asks.

The doctor nods his head.

"They drugged me." She says. She could tell that the doctor was not pleased to hear this as his facial expression seemed to tighten up in anger. She felt like smiling, but knew better than to make him angrier than need be.

"How do you know?" He asks though gritted teeth.

"Lucy gave me lemonade. After I drank it, I felt tired and sleepy. I don't understand what this place is. Is it a circus or is it like Koo Island? Are we just test subjects here like we were back there?" Fay's eyes begin to tear, small trickles sliding down her cheek.

"All we ever wanted was to have normal lives, to live as we wished and freely without having to worry about what others would think of us. Is that too much to ask for?"

Dr. Slur looks down before turning his head to the side so that he could see the teen better. "Do you really want to know?" He asks.

She looks up at him, tear tracks still evident on her cheeks, as she nods her head.

He sighs.

"You're right in thinking that Angel was another personality created, but you're wrong in thinking it was my own doing. It was something you had requested me to do."

"I don't understand." Fay says. "Why would I ask you to do that to me?"

"Because," Dr. Slur says. "You knew what you were already."

Dr. Slur sighs as he rubs his face. "Fay, you have a special gene in your body that allows you to adapt to changes in the internal and external environment far greater than the average human can handle. An example of this would be living in the Arctic. After a short period of time, you would get used to the climate change and it would seem like you had lived there you're whole life. Another example would be if someone were to splice your genetic code with a gene that would turn one eye pink. To anyone else, the splicing itself would surly cause great damage, but with you, the process would work. That's why every time you see a light shade of blue you smell peppermint. It was an experiment we conducted earlier on, a splicing experiment."

"So, you're saying, that you conducted these experiments on me? You changed my DNA to something new for the sake of science?"

"I'm not saying I did it alone. It was always your idea. I would never have done any of this to you if you hadn't of ordered me to."

Fay shakes her head in disbelief. Why would she have wished to be experimented on if it meant she would end up someone new? Why would she want to have all these personalities, all these people she created, for the sake of science?

"So, what am I then?" Fay asks. "What am I to you?"

"If I tell you, what will you do then?" He asks.

Fay shakes her head. "I don't know. But it's better than not knowing, isn't it?" She asks.

The doctor sighs. "If I tell you who you are, then I have to tell you everything, and it's a long story to tell."

"I want to know." Fay responds.

Dr. Slur could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious, and that nothing could sway her away from what she wanted to know. It was the same look she used to give him before conducting an experiment on herself. If he told her now, would he be forgiven? Would she return to who she once was?

He sighs. "Alright, I'll tell you everything."

Shan felt someone nudge him awake as he looks up to see the twins beside his cage.

After they had returned, the ringmaster had declared that they were allowed out of there cages, so long as they didn't leave the tent.

Viv still remained silent since their return, and Nick hadn't spoken a word about what had happened when they left.

Fly was still asleep in her cage, yet even in her sleep her mournful sobbing could be heard.

Viv's eyes were open, but glazed over like she was in some sort of trance. Nick's eyes were closed as he seemed to be fast asleep.

"Viv," Shan whispers so not to wake the sleeping twin. "What is it? Is everything alright?"

She begins to shake her head before remembering her twin and decides to whisper instead. "No, I can't sleep Shan." She replies. "I keep remembering things that I don't want to remember."

"Like what Viv? What are you remembering?"

"Everything. I remember what the red room was for. It was some place where people didn't come out of, it was a place where we all went to at some point. It was a room that was used for experiments, it was used to enable us to adapt to what they wished for us in the future. Nick and I went though experiments that strengthened out link together to enable us to live on the same body. They had a cure for Fly's condition but they chose to make it worse, speeding up the process. And you, Shan, you weren't born blue. You were born like any other normal person was. They spliced you're genetic code, Shan, and the splicing resulted in this. And Fay? She… she… she's gone though so much more. And for what? I don understand. Why would they do this to us?"

Tears begin to fall down her cheeks as her sobbing rocks the body she shares. Nick slowly opens his eyes and notices where he was. Shan looks at the younger twin momentarily before returning his attention back to the sobbing girl.

"It's alright Viv." He says. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

"But that's just the thing Shan." Viv says. "If it's not our fault, then whose is it?"

"That father of yours." Fly replies. She sits up and looks at them all. "It's Dr. Slur's fault we're all like this. It's his fault for hurting us all, for hurting Angel too."

"You can't blame everything on him though!" Viv cries.

Everyone looks at her in shock.

"What, do you mean Viv?" Nick asks. "It was his fault. We all know it was."

"Nick's right Viv," Shan replies. "You may not like it, but it's the truth. It is Dr. Slur's fault we're all like this."

"But you don't understand; it wasn't his fault. It was someone else's."

"How can this be someone else's fault? Are you even listening to yourself Viv?" Shan yells. "If it wasn't for that man, we might have had normal lives! That's all I've ever dreamed of, and your about to tell me that the man responsible for all of this is not to blame?"

The tears began to fall freely from Viv's eyes. She felt like her chest was being crushed, and that nothing was right anymore.

"I know it's not his fault because... because… because Marita Young is the funder for Koo Island. Marita Young was the one paying for the facility. She's the one to blame; she payed for this torture."

"Marita Young tried to help us!" Fly yells.

"She did it to make it seem like she was the good guy!" Viv cries. "This is all her fault! Marita Young is no friend of ours. She's at fault."

"She was the only one who did anything to make our lives comfortable." Shan counters. "How could she be anything but a friend?"

"I don't know." Viv answers honestly while sobbing. "I just don't know."

Nick looks down at his twin sadly before placing a hand on her head. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do. This was not a memory he could see, nor was it something that he could remember. One thing was certain to him: what Viv said about the red room was correct, and he knew that if anyone else were in their shoes, none would have survived. So why were Viv and Nick so different? Why were they able to survive having their head's cut off and sewn onto a new body?

Why was this happening to them?


	10. Chapter 10

I feel so pumped right now!

Tomorrow, my friends and I are planning a surprise birthday party for a friend of ours who hasn't had a party in AGES!

She even missed out on her 18th birthday party due to the fact that it was yr 12.

So-! We're making it up to her tomorrow. She'll be so surprised!

Some people from fanfiction who you may know that are attending this party are and Laura-Ella. If you want, I can send them you're love ;)

Anyway, I feel proud of myself that I'm getting back into a rhythm of writing again. It's nice, it really is.

I have a warning for the next chapter: It will be a flash back into the past, so I'm sorry if people don't like those kind of stories. But it's relevent to the story line (which has been changing so much recently! It's getting on my nerves... but it's becoming a deeper and more interesting story now so I can compramise XP)

If people hate flash backs, sorry but it's needed.

I'll just stop prattling now and let you guys enjoy the chapter =.=

* * *

**Chapter 10 –**

"When I was young, too young to remember, my father died in a terrible accident." Dr. Slur says. "My mother, widowed with a young child, struggled to support the both of us. So she used any means necessary to get money. Even if that meant selling her body. One day, a man found her and helped her find a proper job to sustain us as well as a better life style. Eventually, this man fell in love with my mother and asked her to marry him. They wed when I was ten, and three years later, they had a child of their own. A little baby girl." He turned to look at Fay as she leans closer to the bars.

"How do I fit in then?" She asks.

"That baby girl not only changed my life, but my mothers as well." He says, ignoring Fay's question. "With the help of this new man, our lives began to change for the better. I was able to attend school and make up for all those years that I had skipped, not to mention my mother didn't have to worry about a way to sustain our living conditions. That man was really something else." The doctor looks off into the distance, obviously reliving his past memories, as a faint smile crosses his lips.

"His name was Young." He says, startling Fay.

"Sorry?" She asks.

The doctor turns to face her again. "Young, that was his last name. Marcus Young. He became my step father."

"Then why is your name Slur?"

"Isn't it obvious? I have lived with this name since I was born; I wasn't going to change it because of that man. No, I chose to keep the name in order to keep the memory of my father alive."

Fay lowers her head as she can see how the idea would seem nice and very sentimental. She could only imagine what it would be like since she had no real memories of her own. Shifting slightly, deciding to sit facing the doctor now, the sound of chains scraping across the ground catches the doctor's attention.

He sighs. "They only started doing that after I left with something of theirs." He says. "Look, I don't know if telling you this will help you or not. In the past, you seemed to never recall anything before, so why would it be different now?"

"Your right." Fay says. "It wouldn't be any different now. I don't have a better chance of remembering, but I want to know, so that has to make a difference, doesn't it?"

The doctor looks away, hating to admit she was right. What he hated even more was how she might never remember due to what he was forced to do to her. It wasn't his fault! He had no choice in the matter.

He did it to protect her.

"You said I was someone important to you." Fay says, getting back to the conversation. "How important was I?"

"You still are important to me." Dr. Slur says. He looks down at his hands as he whispers "You always will be to me."

"So how important am I?" She asks.

"My sister, you remember me telling you about her?" He says.

Fay nods her head. "Yeah, I remember."

"She would be in her early 20's now. 23 if I'm correct. She… she always saw the good in others when there really wasn't any."

Fay looks down when she hears a voice, soft and distant yet she seemed to recognise it, but she couldn't tell from where.

_'You don't have to do this Aaron!' The girl cried. 'He did nothing wrong!'_

_'He tried to hurt you, and you want me to forgive him for that?'_

_'Is it so wrong to want to protect others?'_

_'Not if that other will put you in danger.'_

"Did you hear that?" Fay asks.

Dr. Slur looks at her and frowns. "Hear what?" He asks.

"Two voices just now." She replies. "They were arguing over… something." She frowns. "It seemed like the boy, Aaron, was telling this girl off. A girlfriend perhaps? Or a friend? Or a-"

"A sister." Dr. Slur finished. "Aaron was telling his sister off because he was trying to protect her." He looks down, a ghost of a smile evident on his face, before looking up again. "You say you heard them, right?" He asks.

Fay nods her head. "It was so clear in my mind, but it sounded distant and soft, more like a memory."

Dr. Slur stares back at the teen, surprise evident on his face as he covers his face with his hands. Fay looks at him with concern before looking away.

Again, she hears the girl's voice echo along with that of the boys, Aaron's.

_'Are you sure about this?' He asks._

_'Have I ever been wrong before?'_

_'Is that meant to be a rhetorical question?'_

_'You tell me.'_

Fay places a hand to her face as she looks down. That felt more real than it should have. And the girls voice, why did it sound so familiar?

She turns back to the doctor. "Who's Aaron?"

"A boy. A silly, foolish boy." He shakes his head.

"What's his sister's name?"

He looks up at Fay briefly before looking down again. "Marita." He replies.

Fay frowns as the name begins to ring a bell in her mind. Pushing the name aside, she decides to ask another question.

"Are these voices a part of my memories? Is it a bad thing that I can remember?"

Dr. Slur looks up in shock.

"N-no, I mean yes. Wait… I don't know." He looks down again, looking utterly confused. It was a sight Fay had never seen before. It made the doctor seem more human than he should have. To her, he had always been a symbol of restraint and pain, the one who cased everyone's suffering along with the one who never helped them at all. He seemed so inhuman, yet here he was looking as stunned as Fay was when she first found out she wasn't who she thought she was.

But when the same thing happens for a second time, the surprise tends to linger more.

"Aaron… that's my name." He finally replies. He leans in close to the bar, searching the teens face for any sign or hint. "If you heard my name, remembered my name, then you're memories _must_ be returning which means…"

He pauses.

"Which means?" Fay asks.

He looks up at her, determination in his eyes.

"Which means I can tell you everything."

He smirks.

"My little sister."


	11. Chapter 11

I'm updating this now cause I'm going away and won't be able to update for a little while.

The next few chapters will be flashbacks so again, I'm sorry if people don't like them but they're relevent to the story line. Be too hard to explain in the present.

Anyway, I'll say when the flashbacks end so that they'll be no confusion going on.

I wish you all a happy easter (or whatever it is you celebrate at this time of year) and have a good holidays~!

* * *

**Chapter 11 –**

_7 years ago…_

The frantic panting echoes in the misty air as two figures run wildly into the night. The boy, near the age of thirty, pulls the young girl behind him, a girl who was in the prime of her teen years. He grips her arm tighter, dragging her further and further into the dense woods as the fog creeps upon them. Shouting could be heard behind him along with the sound of running feet pounding into the earth.

He was frightened, terrified perhaps.

She was less than safe.

"Aaron!" She pants, her arm straining as he drags her forward. "Aaron, I can't run anymore." She breathes between pants.

"We can't stop now." He says. "If we stop, they'll catch you and take you away again."

"By my arms hurting; and my legs… I can't run anymore." She whines.

"We can't stop running!" He yells back at her, not bothering to turn around and face the young teen following him.

She glares at his back, her chest hurting even more as the weight on her back presses down on her, gravity weighing her down and pushing her to the ground. Her hand slips out of his as she falls to the floor of the woods. He turns around, standing a fair distance away from her, as he stares at her.

"Get up." He pants, catching his breath at this small break.

She looks up at him with pleading eyes. She was tired, and sore. She couldn't run anymore.

He takes a small step forward.

"Get up." He says more fiercely.

"I… I can't go any further." She whines. "My legs feel like they're on fire, and my lungs are burning. I'm tired, Aaron."

Walking forward, he turns around and kneels down. She stares at him, dumbfounded, as she understands straight away and hops on his back. Again, they start running.

"We have to get as far away as we can." He pants. "We need to find some place where they can't find us."

"I remember mum telling us about a circus for weary travellers. Do you think we can find it on our own?" She asks, whispering into his ear.

He frowns. "I heard the circus doesn't exist anymore. No one's heard or seen it since the accident all those years ago."

"But isn't it a structure built into the woods themselves?" She asks. "It can't be moved, and even if no one is there, it would be best to find shelter than sleeping out in the cold air."

He bites his lower lip before looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face. "How come you always come up with the good ideas?"

She grins down at him. "It must be luck of the draw, I suppose." She replies.

They ran for quiet a while in silence, all the while hearing the cries and shouts of the other people chasing them fill the void. It was the same people shouting over and over again:  
_'Marita! Marita! It's your mother, where are you my dear?'_  
_'Marita, darling, you're fathers here to protect you now. Tell me where you are?'_  
_'Aaron, how dare you take your sister away! She's a sick girl and needs all the help she can get! We just want to help her, not hurt her.'_  
_'Young Aaron, if you come now no charges will be held against you; and you can continue your studies at the university if you choose. You have a bright future ahead of you; don't throw it away for some silly resolve for you sister.'_

It was getting on his nerves, the false sincerity in they're voices: how they kept on calling his sister sick when she wasn't. How they kept on saying he was a fool. How they kept on trying to buy his favour with the promise of higher education.

He had gotten all he wanted from the universities. There was nothing new that they could teach him. He wanted to make sure that all his years away, all the years that he had been studying and learning would not be in vain.

He looks over his shoulder as his sister stares back at him. "I won't let them take you again." He says.

She smiles at him as she burries her head in the back of his neck. "I know you won't." She replies. "I won't let them take you too."

He smiles at the comment before noticing a light in the distance. His heart skips a beat momentarily.

They couldn't have caught up to them already, could they?

Marita looks up as the light catches her eyes as well as a brightly coloured tent comes into view.

"Is that a…?" Marita asks.

Aaron nods his head. "Yeah, it is."

It was a circus tent.

Dropping her to the ground, the pair looks at the sight with ghost smiles on the lips.

They may have just found they're sanctuary.

A man, short in stature with a large top hat upon his head, walks past them, backtracks, and stares at the pair before him.

"My, my, my…" He says. "What have we here?" He examines the pair again and takes a mental picture of the two.

The boy was more a man than a child, looking to be in his late 20's with the stubble of a beard growing. He wasn't exactly a tall man, a few inches taller than the girl herself, with hair that was in a dishevelled mess.

The girl, on the other hand, looked far younger than the man beside her, looking to be in her late teens, give or take a year or two. She would look quiet beautiful if she didn't appear to be so malnutritioned, yet she seemed to still have immense physical strength, considering the condition she was in.

The small man smiles at the pair before taking a deep bow before them. "Good evening," he says. "My name is Mr. Peak," Marita stifles a laugh as Aaron nudges her in the ribs. "And I am the ringmaster here at the Dark Woods Circus."

"So we found it?" Marita asks. "We found the circus in the woods?"

Mr. Peak smiles. "It would appear so. Come along, we have spare tents where you may lodge. Feel free to stay as long as you wish. There is no hurry."


	12. Chapter 12

ZOMG! I just noticed that I missed out on chapter 12 and went straight to 13! :O

I apologise to everyone for this mistake. :(

* * *

**Chapter 12 –**

"We have a doctor who tends to those injured at the circus." Mr. Peak says as Marita sits down on a stool. Aaron looks around, examining his surroundings and their new home. "We can call him over to have a look at the both of you, to make sure your healthy and tend to any wounds you may have."

"That won't be necessary." Aaron replies to which Marita glares at him.

"If you could send him, then that would be great." Marita says.

Mr. Peak smiles before leaving the tent. Once he had left, Marita turns to her brother and gives him a questioning glance. He shrugs his shoulders, as if to say 'what?' to which she replies "You don't have to be so harsh to him."

"I don't want you to get hurt, that's all." He replies.

"I know that, but you have to let others in some times to more forward."

"So that you can get hurt again? I'd rather not risk that chance."

"That was back there, not here."

"And what makes you think that they won't hurt you too? For all I know, they could be plotting against us with our parents and those doctors."

"I can assure you, we hardly communicate with the outside world." They hear someone say. The siblings turn to see a man standing in the tents doorway; his back hunched a little as his head is covered by a hood that connects to his dull white trench coat. The man steps into the tent as he straightens up and removes his hood. He was younger than he seemed at first, possibly being a few years older than Aaron himself. He had dark eyes that seemed empty with hair that fell over his face.

He smiles at the pair, the smile that was warm compared to his appearance of looking cold. Marita returns his smile as Aaron looks at him sceptically.

"So you're the doctor?" He asks.

The man nods his head. "Mr. Peak said we had guests and that I should tend to them, to make sure they we're in good health." His eyes wander towards Marita, a blush gracing the girl's cheeks, before returning his cold gaze to Aaron.

"You're they're doctor?" Aaron asks.

The man nods. "Yes, I've learnt from the previous doctor here."

"And where is he? I would rather be tended to someone more experienced."

The man glares at Aaron before replying. "He died a while ago. I'm the only doctor here now."

"So they let you tend to everyone here?" Marita asks, impressed. The man nods his head in acknowledgement. "They must have great faith in you then."

"More like misguided trust." Aaron answers under his breath.

Marita glares at him slightly, before returning to the man before her. "What's your name?"

This startles him as his eyes widen in shock, some warmth gracing them before returning to their cold state. "My name is Slate." He replies, that same warmth gracing his eyes again.

"Slate… that's an unusual name." Marita murmurs to herself. She smiles warmly as Aaron strides towards his sister.

"Anyway," Slate says, seeing the tension growing in the air around them. "Like I said earlier, Mr. Peak sent me to check up on you. Will you allow me to do so?"

Aaron looks at him one last time before sighing and nodding his head, knowing that if he spoke, he might say a lie. He needed Marita to get better, but he was uncomfortable with a complete stranger tending to her. If it was someone he knew, someone he trusted, then it might be a different story. But then, how could he know if they wouldn't betray him as all the others had? A stranger, away from all the commotion, was his best choice then someone he actually knew, friend or foe.

Slate looks down at Marita, noticing instantly that the girl was paler than usual. Her eyes looked tired, skin a sickly pale colour, reminding him so much of death, but even trough her sickly demeanour, she looked strong and fierce. It was something Slate admired in people, something he had taken a liking to since those injured at the circus always had this same look in their eyes.

"Can you tell me what your previous living conditions were like before you stumbled here?" Slate asks; all warmth in his voice gone.

"I was living in a hospital, being tended to by ten doctors." Marita begins to explain. "I always had a doctor and a nurse in my room at all times. I was never allowed to leave the room and I had to take different types of medicine regularly. Didn't matter what it was for, they used me as a sort of test dummy. They injected me with viruses to test their medicines against, and forbid me from any form of contact with anyone. My friends haven't seen me in years, the only time they could see me was when we we're escaping today, and we couldn't stop."

"And what virus we're you injected with last, along with the medicine they used to counter it?"

"The virus was a new one, called Genesis. The drug they injected me with was the same name as the virus, only a tad different. They called it 'Genesis-X': 'X' referring to the Roman numeral '10' for the amount of times they tried to find a cure. They believe that this one was the right combination. I can't say wether it was or wasn't, I left before they could finish the day's testing on me."

"What did the virus do to the human body?"

"Well, it would slowly cause the infected human to see hallucinations at first, being the primary stage. The second stage would lead onto blood loss from the pores, nose or mouth. The third stage would result in deep sleeps that range from an hour to three weeks. The fourth stage, the final one, would result in brain damage and eventual comatose. The infected would, in a way, become a vegetable."

"How does this virus spread?"

"Well, I was injected with it directly, so I don't know really. They only told me what the virus did and what the vaccine was supposed to do. They never really let me know of anything more than that."

"You never told me this." Aaron says; a little shocked at his sister's words.

She looks up at him sadly. "I never wanted you to know." She replies. "It's not something that is easily explained and I didn't want you to have to worry about getting sick while looking after me."

"I'm more worried about you than myself." Aaron replies. "They injected you with so many different viruses; it's a wonder that you're still alive."

"I'm tough. What would you expect?" She replies; a hint of a smile on her cheeks as she returns her gaze to Slate. "So," she asks. "What now?"

"I think there's nothing I can do, considering the nature of the virus. If these symptoms start, however, then I will try and help in any way that I can." Slate says as he glances as her arms. "Do you have any external injuries? Like cuts or bruises? Broken bones?"

"If she had anything like that," Aaron answers. "Then I would have taken care of it already."

Slate nods his head, not wanting to anger Aaron any further. He looks at Aaron quickly, judging if he needed any medical assistance, before deciding he was fine and leaves the pair alone.

Marita watches Slate leave, watching how he places his hood over his head and how he slightly slouches his back as the sides of the tent are pulled aside. She looks up at Aaron who had walked towards her and smiles. "I think we'll be safe here." She says.

"For now." Was his reply as he walks into the makeshift kitchen.

Marita could tell that he was worried for her; he had never really worried about his safety or anyone else's for that matter. It had always been her in his eyes, and it was something that she both loved yet hated at the same time. She wanted him to care for others as well, but knew that at the moment; she just needed all of his attention focused on her. She was being selfish, but it was only going to be momentary. If anything, she needed to learn to depend on others instead of just her brother.

Standing, she walks to one of the beds and lies down. It wasn't as soft as the hospital beds, nor was it as comfortable either. But it was better than sleeping on the cold, hard ground. She found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, her first real once since she had started living in that dreadful hospital. No smell of chemicals finding its way into her nostrils, no people checking on her in her sleepless sleep. No one whispering among themselves or switching shifts in the dead of night. No humming of medical equipment, no beeping from the heart monitors telling the world that she was still alive. No drugs being pumped into her body to help her relax for the night. No scribbling of a pen as she tries to drift off to her far away sleep.

If this was what freedom was like, Marita wished that Aaron had come to save her sooner.

She was asleep within a few seconds of lying down on the bed. Aaron watches her sleep, a small smile on the girl's cheeks, as he places a second blanket over her delicate frame. She looked like a porcelain doll sleeping there, her pale skin giving her that delicate light. He knew that she would want to explore everything when she woke up, and he wasn't going to be the one to stop her.

She was finally free now, free to do as she pleases.

He just hoped that her freedom would be safe as well.


	13. Chapter 13

I've started writing again (hooray!) Because I've settled down a little.

I am now living in Italy till January next year. I've been to Rome which was amazing! If anyone is thinking of going to Europe/Italy, then Rome is a must see city.

Right now, I am living in Lecce, which is near the ocean.

Anyway, getting back to what I was saying: I just finished writing this chapter. The flashback will be going on for a bit longer than expected, but that's how the flow of the story is going.

I am also informing you that I will be writing two different endings for this story: the first can be considered the 'sad' ending, whereas the other is a more 'happy' ending. Of course, though, the second ending will be longer than the first by a chapter or two. It's just because I have two endings planned in my head for this story, and some might prefer a different ending to what others see.

Anyway, sorry for the delay. I will try to update at a more frequent basis (say at least once a month). If I don't keep up to this scheduled, then you may hunt me down and force me to update

As always, enjoy and review please~!

* * *

**Chapter 13 –**

The chirping of birds woke Marita up, feeling more awake than she had in a very long time. Looking to her side, she notices Aaron sleeping in the bed next to her and she smiles. Sitting up, she stretches her arms before standing and walking into the kitchen. She didn't know what she wanted to eat first: the fruit that was sitting in a bowl, or the bread that was laid out on a wooden chopping board with a bread knife next to it.

Marita cuts herself a slice of bread before looking in the fridge. There was milk, butter and cheese on the top shelf. No meats were present but she did notice vegetables in a little draw on the bottom of the fridge.

Opening up a cupboard, she finds plates, cups and bowls, spoons and knives and forks. The cupboard next to it held dried fruit, nuts and oats, along with some jam jars and what appeared to be chocolate.

She closes the cupboards, smiling, as she hears Aaron wake up. Turning around, she smiles at her brother as he stands and walks towards her, reaching for the oats.

"What are you making?" She asks as he pulls out a saucepan from the cupboard underneath the bench.

"Porridge." He replies as he grabs out the milk from the fridge. Looking around, he opens up a different cupboard and pulls out a small container with raw sugar in it.

Marita watches him as he pours the milk into the saucepan and heats it up over a stove. He then places in a cup full of oats and a pinch of raw sugar before stirring it all together. Noticing his sister watching him, Aaron smiles to himself as he looks at a few cupboards above his head. Frowning, he leaves the saucepan and looks in a few others to no avail.

Returning to the saucepan to stir it, he turns to Marita. "Hey," he says, breaking her trance. She looks up at him as he smiles. "I need you to go and see if we can borrow some honey from anyone." He says.

"Honey?" She asks. He nods his head. "What do we need it for?"

"Well, I like putting honey and strawberries on my porridge. We have the strawberries, but no honey." He answers.

Marita nods her head. "Alright, I'll go and ask someone then." She replies as she bounds out of the tent. Aaron smiles after her, not knowing where she gets all of her energy from. It was a wonder that she hadn't fallen over in her haste to explore the circus.

Marita looks around the campsite, her excitement of being free and able to do anything she pleases causes' her to nearly trip in her hurry to explore everything she possibly could.

The sound of the tent flaps to her left catches her attention as someone walks out of them. A woman steps out, her long grey hair falling beside her as her red eyes look around lazily. She stretches and yawns, before looking to Marita. "Can I help you with something?" She asks her voice sweet and soothing.

Marita smiles at her. "My brother asked me to get some honey. Do you have any that we may borrow?" She asks.

The woman nods her head as she holds up a finger and ducks back into the tent. A few seconds later, she re-emerges with a jar of honey in her hand and passes it to the teen.

"Thank you." Marita says as she goes to walk back. Turning around, she smiles at the woman again to which the woman looks a little startled at the action. "I'm Marita, by the way. Marita Young." Marita says before walking back to her brother.

The woman's lips cure up into a smile as she shakes her head and walks away from her tent.

Entering her own tent, Marita spots Aaron standing over the stove, stirring something in a pot. Walking over towards him, she looks into the pot to see a creamy concoction being stirred by the wooden spoon that Aaron was holding.

"This is porridge." He says as he looks down at her. "I've been eating this since I was young. It's simple to make, and an easy breakfast. Did you get any honey?"

"Yeah, I did. I met this woman out the front of her tent and asked her if I could borrow some honey. She handed me this jar." Marita replies as she holds up the jar in her hand.

"Place it on the table." Aaron replies. Marita nods her head as she does so. "I thought you would have been out longer." Aaron says, turning off the stove as he pulls out two bowls.

"Why would you think that?" Marita asks.

"Cause," he replies. "You've been cooped up for so long; I thought you would have wanted to explore a little. Can you grab some spoons?"

"Sure." Marita replies. She places two spoons on the table while Aaron walks over with the bowls, placing them down next to a spoon each. He then picks up the honey jar along with some strawberries and sits down.

"I do want to explore more." Marita says as she sits down in front of her bowl. "But I would rather explore with you as well, so that we could get our bearings straight."

Aaron looks up from his food, a strawberry in one hand as the other held a knife. "You we're waiting for me?" He asks.

She nods her head.

"You shouldn't have." He replies.

"But I wanted to."

"You don't need to worry about me; I can take care of myself." He answers back. "I've done so for a long time now. You, on the other hand, have been locked in that hospital for too long. I don't want to hold you back. Once you finish your food, I want you to go out and explore on your own, do you understand?"

Marita pouts and nods her head.

She didn't wait because she was worried about him. She just thought it would have been nice if they had a look at the circus together. It seemed like there was a bigger gap between them than she originally thought.

Marita left not long after she had finished her bowl, taking Aaron's advice to explore the circus. He didn't want her to have to wait for him; he wanted her to get back what was taken from her and not to rely on others so much.

The sound of the tent flaps moving disturbs the silence as Aaron turns around. A young girl, a few years older than Marita, enters the tent with a bowl of fresh fruit. She looks up at Aaron, a crimson blush encasing her cheeks, as she takes a few steps into the tent.

"H-hi." She stutters.

"Hi." Aaron replies.

They stand staring at each other for a few seconds in silence before the girl bows her head and holds out the bowl. "This is a welcoming gift." She says. "From the circus to you."

Aaron picks up the bowl, a little surprised by the gesture, before holding it awkwardly in his hands. "Thanks, I guess." He says.

She looks up, a hint of a smile on her lips, before she turns and begins to walk out of the tent.

"You just gonna leave without telling me you're name?" He asks mockingly.

She freezes, the sound of a nervous laugh escaping her lips, as she turns around. "Lu-lucinda Bell." She replies before leaving the tent.

Aaron chuckles to himself as he looks down at the bowl of fruit.


	14. Chapter 14

I've been feeling tired and lethargic lately *sigh* and royally pissed off.

I wrote an AWESOME chapter for 'DWC' and was about to save when my computer chrashed. What's even worse is how the auto recovery file setting on my laptop was set to 10 min and my precious chapter was not saved. So I have to write it all over... again...

GARH! Anyway, I've decided to continue on with vocaloid stories, and have already started on my new project.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. Bye!

* * *

**Chapter 14 –**

Marita looks around the circus, walking though some of the open tents and talking to people as they pass by her. The circus, though it seemed empty, was surprisingly full of people, all busy with something to do. There were those who tended to the plants strewn throughout the circus, others who tended to the livestock and garden, and those who mended worn out clothes and shoes, even some who baked bread and pastries.

The circus was a small town within itself.

Marita was so absorbed in the sights that she didn't notice a cart rolling towards her, the man having an argument with his friend sitting next to him.

Suddenly, she was pulled aside, the arms of her saviour wrapped around her as the cart continued to roll on by.

She looks up at the person who saved her and smiles when seeing the familiar face of Slate. "Thanks." She says as she steps out of his embrace. He looks at her as she smiles at him. "I lost myself in the circus. It's so full of new and exciting things. It seems like a lively place."

"It is." He replies. "It's never quiet for long, even late at night it's busy with people going to and from tents."

"Like you, right?" She asks. He looks down at her, a little puzzled by her question, as she explains. "Since you're the doctor here, if you're needed somewhere, even late at night, you need to go straight away, right?" He nods his head. "Well, you're one of those busy people going from tent to tent late at night, aren't you?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I am." He replies, a little embarrassed by her words.

"You know," she says. "I could see if my brother could help out with your work as well. He did study to be a doctor, after all. He just never, never…" Marita looks down sadly. "He never really took any positions for work, because of me. He not only didn't take any positions in hospitals, but he also continued on with his studies in medical research. He completed his years and still refused any positions that came his way, just for me. He was studying for a doctor's degree in Scientific Medical Research before he left and stole me away from the hospital that was my prison. He gave up his education, his life, just for me."

She clutches her chest, a sharp pain causing tears to flow from her eyes. Aaron had given up everything for her, and what did she do in return?

Slate hugs her, the action feeling awkward as he whispers into her ear. "He did it out of love, Marita." He says. "If he didn't love you, would you be here right now? Would be you free? How would you feel if he was just like you parents?"

Marita remains quiet for a while longer before pulling away from the embrace. "I would hate it." She replies honestly. "But what I hate even more is the fact that I can't do anything to help him."

"I think you may have done more than what you think." Slate replies, a light blush creeping upon his cheeks as he looks away.

Noticing this, Marita smiles wickedly as she kisses Slate's cheek, causing him to jump at the sudden action, his face turning bright red. She laughs as he stumbles for words. "Now I didn't expect _that _kind of reaction!" Marita says though laughter. "You act like this is the first time it's happened to you!"

"Well…"

Marita stops laughing as she faces him again, noticing how he now looks even more embarrassed than before. "You've… never had anyone kiss you on the cheek before?" Marita asks.

He shakes his head.

"Not even your mother? Father?"

"I'm an orphan."

"Oh." Suddenly, she felt a deep sense of regret for her action as she hangs her head. Bringing up bad memories was something she seemed to do often. It first happened when she asked her mother about Aaron and his real father who had died long before she was born. The next was when she asked her neighbour to teach her to play the piano, not knowing that she had given up the instrument after her son, who played the piano, died. "I'm sorry for your loss." She says.

"It's alright." He replies. "You didn't know. Anyway, where are you going?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "No where really. I just wanted to look around a bit."

"You shouldn't walk around alone." Slate says. He notices how Marita looks at him oddly as he looks away. "I mean, walking around with someone else is far more enjoyable."

"Well, I could use the company." She muses. "Would you show me around?"

He looks stunned at this, pointing a finger at himself in a silent question. She smiles and nods her head.

He shakes his head. "I can't. I'm on my way to Mr. Peak's tent right now. Sorry." He slips through the crowd of people and around a tent before disappearing from Marita's sight altogether. She frowns at his figure as she continues to walk around on her own.

Aaron finishes preparing dinner when Marita stumbles into the tent. She sits on a chair, exhausted, as she sighs. Aaron looks over his shoulder and smiles to himself before returning to the food he is preparing. "You seem tired." He says. "Been a busy day for you?"

"Very." She replies. "I met so many new people today. Did you know that there's a knife thrower? He's also the butcher here too. And a few of the acrobats are actually bakers. I got to taste a few of their pastries today."

"Were they good?"

"More than good; they were delicious!" She declares with a wide grin on her face. He laughs before placing a bowl in front of her. She looks down at the food before looking back up at him. He notices her glance and raises a brow.

"What?" He asks.

"I just never thought of you as the kind of guy who was good at cooking." She answers honestly.

"I'm not." He replies. "I met a girl here and asked if she could help me prepare dinner tonight. She helped, to the point where I could do it on my own, before slipping out of the tent without me noticing." He chuckles to himself. "She's a strange one, that's for sure."

"Maybe you're just scary." Marita pipes in.

He glares at her, half heartedly, as he asks "Oh really now? Then I suppose you're not hungry."

"No!" Marita exclaims as she pulls the bowl closer to herself. "My food!" She says childishly, frowning at him. They continue to look at each other for a little while longer before bursting out into laughter.

Along the side of the tent, sitting out in the freezing cold while listening at the tent flap, was Lucinda Bell; the girl looking nervous and a little worried. A tap on her shoulder startles her as she turns to face Slate. "Is everything alright?" He whispers to her.

She nods her head. "They've just sat down for dinner." She replies.

He nods his head. "That's good. Keep an eye on them until I find a way of getting them out of here."

"So we're really doing this," she says. "We're really going to leave the circus?"

He nods his head. "I'm tired of hurting people, Lucinda. I just want to leave this god damn place behind and more on with my life. I want to help people, to make them better, not turn them into…" His voice trails off as his face grows dark and empty.

Lucinda looks away as she continues to listen to the conversation. "That girl," she says. "Marita, was it? Mr. Peak seems to be fascinated with her for some reason. Why is that?"

"She's an adapter." Slate answers. Lucinda gasps, before covers her mouth as the noise echoes in the silent night. She had heard of adapters, how they we're able to withstand physical and mental change without harm to the mind or body. She had never seen one, though. They were fabled people, the last one to come to the circus dying long before she was born. It was after this adapter died, though, that the circus stopped performing to the general public, stopped performing at all.

Their main attraction was gone, how were they going to continue on as a circus? Or so many thought.

"He's not… _planning _anything, is he?" Lucida asks shakily.

Slate looks away, before returning his gaze to her. "Yes, and he wants me to be the one to proceed with the experimentation." He answers honestly. "I mean, after Senz, Mr. Peak has a new found hope in the circus." At the mention of the unfortunate girl's name, Lucinda looks down.

"Then, there's no hope for these two, is there?" She asks.

"At the moment, no." Slate answers. "But in time, I'm sure there will be hope. I'll make sure that Aaron escapes, with or without the other two. He needs to be able to come back and save everyone."

"You have that much faith in him, huh?" She muses more to herself than to anyone else.

Slate nods his head. "After all, her parents did lead them to this circus."


	15. Chapter 15

I tried to update this earlier, but my Internet was being a little B**** to me...

Anyway, there will be two separate endings to this: a sad one and a happy one. Like a 'happily-ever-after' typical ending. Cause if I just left it at the sad ending, then I feel like I just sent these characters to their death. And if I only have a happy one, well, that just ruins 'DWC' completely!

So, having both is good in my eyes.

Sad will come first, so look forward to that one!

I have started on my next vocaloid project as well, but I won't tell you guys just yet ;)

EDIT: I just noticed that I forgot to add in the real Chapter 12. So I have now put it in where it belongs. I'm sorry for this lost chapter. It's there if you wish to read it. If not, then there is no fuss there. Again, I am sorry for this :(

Until next time, enjoy~!

* * *

**Chapter 15 –**

Aaron shakes Marita awake harshly as Slate walks into the tent. "Well?" Aaron asks as he looks up at the young man.

"Lucinda is distracting the others." He replies. "If we hurry, you two can make it, but I can't say the same for the other one."

"The other one, was she betrayed to the circus like Marita was?" Aaron asks. Marita opens an eye and looks up at her brother briefly before nodding off to sleep again. "Come on, this is no time to be sleeping. Get up you silly duffer."

"Senz wasn't betrayed by anyone." Slate answers. "But she was betrayed by someone she did trust."

"Who was that?" Aaron asks as he manages to get Marita's attention as she remains awake.

"Me." Slate replies as he peaks out of the tent.

Aaron looks at Slate with worry before turning to his sister. "We have to go." He says.

"Go? Go where?" She asks.

"Away from here." He replies. "It's our parents, Marita. They sold you to this place."

She looks up at her brother in shock, before turning to Slate who was standing near the tent flaps. He nods his head as she looks down, feeling deflated and empty. Aaron helps her to her feet, but even then she wouldn't move. The sheer shock rang though her body, paralysing her, as she begins to slowly come to terms with what she had just heard.

The circus was just as dangerous as the hospital.

"Where do we go?" She says as she regains her senses. She stumbles forward slightly as Aaron turns to Slate for an answer.

"There's an abandoned asylum in the middle of a red lake, the centre of a swamp which is right next to the Dark Woods." Slate says. "I'll lead you there so that you can escape and get to that place."

"Why an asylum?" Marita asks. "Why not go to a different town?"

"I made a promise," Aaron replies. "That when I could, I would come back and save anyone who was trapped here, like you would have been if it weren't for Slate and Lucinda."

Marita nods her head as the three of them slip out of the tent. There was no sign of anyone walking around at night, nor was there any sign of Lucinda. They creep to the edge of the circus where two figures were sitting down, waiting for them.

The pair look up as they hear the sound of feet pounding on the ground, as they hind behind a tree each, before noticing Slate. "Slate!" The girl whispers as she runs out of her hiding spot and hugs the young man. He looks down at her as the boy joins is older sister.

Slate pulls them aside then and speaks to them softly, all the while Marita and Aaron standing behind him, looking back at the circus nervously. "Now listen here you two," he says. "This here is Aaron Slur and Marita Young. They're brother and sister, before you ask Viv. You'll be going with them, okay? When Aaron says its time, you'll return to come and save everyone."

"We'll be like superheros, right?" Nick asks. "From the comic books; the good guys."

"We don't have to wear those silly costumes, do we?" Viv asks, pulling a face at the thought.

Slate smiles briefly at them. "Nick; yes, you'll be hero's to everyone you save. Viv; I don't think any sort of costume is necessary."

He turns back to Aaron and Marita as he looks back at the circus. "Who else are we waiting for?" Marita asks.

"Lucinda." Slate replies.

They remain where they were for another minute before the circus beamed to life, lights turning on in every direction, as the sound of shouting could be heard. They could see people running with chains, ropes and clubs, all looking deadly and angry. Off to one side was Lucinda; chained up and being dragged away from the five who were waiting for her. She looked beaten and bruised, as she was lead into the grand tent.

"No." Slate whispers as he watches her disappear. He turns to the others before bowing his head. "We have to go."

"Go? We can't just leave her here!" Aaron says. "We need to go and save her."

"We can't do that." Slate replies. "If we do, we'll just be jeopardising you're sisters safety. Do you really want that? Both Lucinda and I knew that it was dangerous, but we went ahead and saved her, we saved both of you." He places a hand on the man's shoulder as he continues. "This just gives you a stronger reason to come back and save everyone, right?"

Aaron's face turns stern and serious as he nods his head. Slate begins walking ahead of everyone, Marita holding onto Viv's hand as Nick follows behind the two girls, Aaron coming up at the back. They ran into the forest, the light from the circus illuminating their path, as they weave though trees and jumped over fallen longs and roots sticking out of the ground.

Marita was looking around as she ran when she notices a figure curled up next to a log. She stops running, causing Nick to bump into her as she begins to walk towards the figure. "Marita!" Aaron hisses as she bends over the body. It was a boy, possibly a few years older than herself, curled up in ripped and torn clothing.

She hears a gasp behind her as she turns to notice Slate standing behind her. "Shan?" He says as he bends down before the boy.

At the mention of his name, the boy opens an eyelid and manages to look up at Slate. His hair was in a dishelmed mess as his skin felt cold and almost frozen. He slowly manages to sit up, his lips having turned a pale blue in the cold, as he shivers. "S-s-s-sla-a-a-ate?" He asks, his voice shaking.

"Yeah, it's me." Slate replies with worry. He pulls of his jacket and wraps it around his friend before turning to look up at Aaron. "You're gonna have to take him as well." He says. "Shan is good when it comes to mechanics, but he's almost frozen stiff. He's most likely got hypothermia, so he's gonna be bed ridden for months, just for recovery."

He helps the shaking boy to his feet as Aaron looks over his shoulder, noticing how the shouting had gotten louder. "That's fine," he says. "He can come. But we need to hurry; they're catching up."

Slate nods his head as he looks to Shan, Marita walking back to Viv and Nick who were looking at the pair in worry. "You know him?" Marita asks the twins.

They nod their head as Nick replies. "He stumbled onto the circus by accident. Mr. Peak thought he would serve as an excellent addition to our attraction as he forced the old doctor to experiment on him."

"What did they do to him?" Marita asks with worry, looking at the boy to see if anything was missing.

"Well, that's the thing:" Viv answers. "They didn't want to alter him physically, so they experimented on his psyche. But Shan's has a strong mind, and he managed to escape after three weeks of their mental experimentation."

"Three weeks?" Marita exclaims. "How did he manage for so long?" She asks.

"He's no adapter, not like you, that's for certain." Nick replies.

"But his mind is as strong as that of an adapter." Viv continues.

Marita nods her head as Slate proceeds to carry the boy. He turns to everyone before running off, causing Marita to carry Viv and Aaron to carry Nick just in order to keep up.

They soon reach the edge of the red lake where a woman stands beside the boat. She holds a cigarette in her hand, which was bandaged up, as she looks at the small group running towards her. She frowns as she drops the cigarette and steps on it before turning to Slate. "I thought there was only going to be four." She says.

"Deal with it, Lou, cause as it turns out, I'm coming too." Slate replies as he places Shan in the boat, wrapping him up in the cloth that was covering a lamp and compass.

The woman looks at him in disbelief, before turning to the others then back to Slate. "You're lucky that my boat can hold up to ten people at a time." She says before turning to the small group before her. "I'm Lou, by the way," she says. "Lou Delux. But it's 'Fly' to all of you."

"You don't get to call her 'Lou' until you become special friends with her." Slate says as he narrowly dodges a punch from the woman. "Anyway, we need to leave now before they catch up to us."

Aaron looks over his shoulder again as Marita leads Viv to the boat. Nick follows behind the pair as Aaron looks down at the woman. "Don't worry." She says. "I know who you guys are; Aaron Slur and Marita Young, right? I work in town, and I never really agreed to what was happening to her. I know what I'm getting into."

Aaron smiles warmly down at her before hopping onto the boat. Slate was next to climb into it as Fly pushes the boat a bit more so that the bow wasn't touching the bank. She then jumps in as she passes both men an oar each. "Begin to row." She says. "I'll lead you in the right direction, so you don't have to worry about getting lost."

"Wait." Aaron replies. "You're coming with us?"

"Of course I am." She answers with a scoff. "Slate said that you had a brilliant mind and that you could cure me from my disease."

Aaron turns to Slate angrily, the other man looking away as if he didn't know what had just been said, as Marita asks "Disease?"

"Yeah." Fly replies sadly. "My skin rots and falls off. It was something I was born with, but with age, it's been getting worse. My arms have to be bandaged from shoulder to fingers, whereas so far only my thighs have to be bandaged. I also have to have a few bandages around my chest and stomach."

"It's that bad?"

"Yeah, and it'll only get worse as time goes by."

"That's not something easy to cure." Aaron replies.

"But you'll try, won't you?" Fly asks; desperation evident in her voice.

Aaron smiles. "Of course I will; you're helping us after all. Plus, it's an interesting challenge to take on."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it so much." Fly replies with a sharp bluntness that nearly made Marita laugh. She was sitting next to Shan, who was asleep again and leaning on her. Viv and Nick were sitting opposite her as they whispered among each other. Marita smiles down to herself as she looks up to see the asylum looming above them. Their new home was something that was abandoned, but maybe it could be a sort of haven for her as well.

_5 months later…_

Marita looks down at the statistics her and her brother had just received from Slate.

They didn't look too good.

"If we don't hurry up, our plans won't happen." Marita says with anger in her voice.

"We can't rush this any more than we already are." Aaron replies. "We need to make sure the others are safe during the process as well."

"Do they even know what you're planning for them?" Slate asks.

Marita nods her head. "I asked them before hand, and they said they were fine with it. Well, more or less along those lines at least."

"That's evil."

"It's necessary if we want to save everyone from that circus." Marita hands the clipboard to Aaron as she leaves to go see how Shan was going with the machines.

As she walks in, a huge steam cloud comes rushing towards her as she begins to cough and clear the air in front of her with her hand. "Shan?" She calls into the room. A head looks up from where the person was crouching as they wave a spanner in the air. "Shan, what's going on in here?"

"Sorry Marita." He replies. "Just finished fixing the nitrogen tanks to each chamber." He kisses her briefly on the cheek before looking at his handiwork. "I give you five chromatist chambers; able to freeze any living being for a certain period of time. Warning: one use only."

"We're only needing to use them once." Marita replies as she looks at them all, before returning her gaze to Shan. "Are you sure you want to go though with this?"

Shan nods his head. "I mean, it's scary knowing that my genetic code will change and I'll end up someone different and new, but I want to save everyone from the circus as much as you and everyone else do."

Marita nods her head as she mulls over the process everyone will be going thought:

Shan's genetic coding would change, that much was true, but the component that would be added is the gene than turns a persons eye blue, but only taking the colouring aspect of that. That blue gene would be mixed with a sample of her own genetic coding, so that the splicing won't kill him, but change him.

Fly's condition now had a cure, but, with her permission, they were going to splice her genes as well and speed up the process. Of course, a part of Marita's genetic code would be added to Fly's as well, just to make sure the disease doesn't get out of hand and to make sure she lives though the process.

Viv and Nick would go though the same process as each other. Their genes would be spliced and altered to enable them to live for an extra ten minutes after a beheading, for both body and head. With the added component of a portion of Marita's genes to make the process work, the idea still worries everyone, including both twins.

Marita, on the other hand, would have her genetic coding altered to something similar to her brother. Whenever Aaron saw something blue, he would smell rotting fish; a response that didn't agree too well with him. Cases like these are rare for anyone, and Marita thought a splicing of her gene with an added component of Aaron's gene would enable her to have a similar response to all blue things just like her brother.

Everyone was soon called to Slate's surgery room, marked by its red door. After the process was conducted on them, they all went though another process to alter their memories. This was something Marita thought up, and altered the stories for everyone. Marita told Aaron that this part was most important for the main reason that it would lead them to seek out the Dark Woods Circus and thus lead them to saving everyone.

With the money that Aaron had saved throughout the course of his studies, he was able to hire some pretend guards along with false patients to make it seem more of a hospital for people who were different.

The five of them entered the chromatist chambers, frozen in time as one would say, as false memories were implanted in their brains, a thin layer to cover the truth and enable Marita's plan to come to fruition.

Aaron watches the process occur every day, aging as the years go by. He and Slate were worried for them, of course. But they knew that Marita's plan would work; her genes would enable the five of them to survive though any hardships.

Aaron plants the necessary clues in the places that Marita had specified to him on a note as he waits for the chambers to open and their false lives to begin.

_7 years later…_

Fay looks down at her hands, the memories pouring into her mind as she realizes the truth at last.

She was Marita Young.

All of this was her fault.

"Aaron," she says, the familiarity in her voice startling the doctor as he turns to look at her. She looks up at him, tears in her eyes, as she clenches her fists. "Thank you for keeping your promise."

He gasps, tears wheeling in his eyes, as he rests his head on the cage bars. "You're making it sound like I did a good thing." He says.

"Well, you did as I asked." She replies. "I'd say that is good enough."

"But I ended up hurting everyone." He continues. "I'm hated by people I once called my friends. I was even hated by you, my sister." He shakes his head, laughing at the irony of it all. "And to think, this was your plan."

"Well someone had to come up with the good ideas." She scoffs, a sad smile crossing her face. "It is luck of the draw, after all."

She reaches a hand though the bars and touches his cheek.

Before that moment, the idea of such an act would seem revolting and wrong to her.

Now it felt like second nature.

He looks up at her, grabbing her hand and holding it in his own, squeezing it gently, as he sighs. "Well, what now?" He asks.

"What's the next step in the pan?"


	16. Chapter 16

So here it is: the beginning of the end.

There will be an alternate ending, which will be happy, so if you want to see a happy one, keep your eyes out for that one.

Id you don't want to read a happy one and are content with this one, then you don't have to read the alternate.

I'm really excited though. It's nearly over. Wow... and when it ends... what next?

New vocaloid story or something else?

I can do both... well, one step at a time I guess.

Enjoy~!

* * *

**Chapter 16 –**

Fay looks away then, pulling her hand out of his, as she looks down at her legs. "There is no next step." She says.

He looks at her in shock, stumbling for words, as she continues.

"I'm beyond saving now."

"But… what do you mean beyond saving?"

Fay looks at him before standing. Even in the dim light, the shadow of the cage covering her, he could still make out the dim outline of fawn-like legs. He squints before standing up and pulling off a lamp that was hanging near the tent entrance. Bringing it closer to her, he looks to see that his first thought was indeed correct.

Her human legs had been amputated from mid thigh down and replaced with fawn legs, the odd curve and hoof making it hard for the girl to stand. She looks down sadly as he notices a horn protruding from the left side of her head, having been sewn onto her skull.

He looks away, the sight disturbing him, before returning his gaze back to her.

This was what would have happened to her all those years ago if Slate hadn't come and warned them of Mr. Peak's plan.

"Marita…" he whispers before noticing how she cringes at the name.

"All these different names," she says. "I want to have only _one name _to go by, not all these other names, wether false or real." She sighs as she sits down. "I'm Marita to you, Angel to the others, Fay to anyone else that I've met. Why can't I just have one name?"

"You're birth name is Marita, that's why I call you that." Aaron replies. "Just because you remember now, though, doesn't mean your name has to change."

"Then I'll stay as Fay." She says. "Besides, I don't want to be Angel; I was never her to begin with. And I am no longer Marita; I'm someone new, with new memories, whether false or real." She sighs before fiddling with a ribbon that was tied around her new horn. "You can't save us, I know that now. We're trapped now. But you can save that other people from this circus. You could save Lucy, I'm sure she would be excited to see you again."

"Lucy? You mean Lucinda? She's still not a stuttering mess, is she?"

"She used to stutter?"

"When she was younger; yes. Why, don't you remember?"

"I never met her when she was younger, so no; I don't remember."

Silence follows then as sounds from outside the tent could be heard. Aaron stands, a little puzzled, as he takes a quick peak outside. He turns back to his sister, his face grim, as he looks back out the tent flap.

"What?" Fay asks. "What is it? What's going on out there?"

"It's people." He replies. "People coming in from the town to see the circus." He looks down at her before walking to the cage, looking around for a key.

"I told you, I can't escape." She says as he walks around the whole tent, not finding a single useful thing.

He bends down to eye level with her as he looks grimly at her. "I'm not losing you again. This is the third time I've lost you now, and that's three times too many for my liking."

Fay frowns as she thinks over how many times he had lost her. First time was the hospital and the second time was when she escaped Koo Island to reach the circus with everyone else. But the third time…?

"Damn it!" Aaron yells as he hits the bars with his fists. The sound rings though the tent as he leans on the cage.

Fay stands and, though the bars, hugs him.

The tent flaps open up at that moment, two men walking in to see the sight. Aaron turns to face them as Fay looks away, wanting to enjoy her last moment with her brother. One of them smirks as they tap the cage with a wooden club, the other indicating for someone to enter.

Viv and Nick walk into the tent, a little nervous and confused as to why they should enter.

Upon seeing Fay, their faces brighten up briefly before dropping into a horror filled expression. They notice the teen's legs, and the horn upon her head. Then their eyes travel to the man standing beside her cage, to the figure that she had just been hugging.

Dr. Aaron Slur looks to the men in anger, looking past the baffled looks of the twins, as he hears a rustling behind him. He turns around to see more men entering though a back entrance to the tent, soon followed by Mr. Peak.

The ringmaster grins at them. "What do you think, boy?" he asks. "What do you think of my newest attraction?"

"I find it disgusting." He replies harshly, receiving a surprised gasp from Viv.

Fay beckons the twins forward as she bends down low to explain as quietly and quickly as she could. But she was interrupted by the guy with the stick as he bangs it against the metal cage bars. She looks up at him, his grin shining down at her, as she turns to look back at Mr. Peak and Aaron.

Mr. Peak's smile fades momentarily before returning. "Ah, oh well. I let you keep her for all those years when those two traitors that allowed you both to escape." He says. "And I knew that one day you both would return to me."

"Wait, you knew they were going to let us escape?" Fay asks in surprise.

Mr. Peak looks at her in surprise as he turns to Aaron. "What's this? First she was Marita, then she was Fay, now she's Marita again?" he laughs before turning his gaze to the teen. "So, does that mean you have your memories back?" he asks.

"What if it does?" She asks as both twins look at her in confusion. "It still doesn't change the fact that you knew Slate and Lucy, well Lucinda, were going to help us escape!"

"Ah! Slate, yes, he was a good doctor. Helped with some of the later experimentations too. But the fool couldn't stomach what this circus was about, let his emotions run wild. That's how Shan escaped. But I must commend you on the work you did on young Viv and Nick. I don't know how you did it, but beheading someone and then reattaching their head onto a new body is hard to do."

"Actually," Aaron says. "That was all Marita's doing." He points to Fay as she stands with pride. "All of this was her idea and plan."

"So I have been congratulating the wrong sibling?" Mr. Peak asks. "May I ask, then, how you did it?"

"If I did tell you," Fay replies. "Then what would you do with that knowledge? Create more twisted experiments?"

"Hmmm, maybe, maybe not. It all depends on what you say."

Fay looks down, before turning to the twins. She could see Nick had no idea what was going on, but Viv looked like she was beginning to understand some of the situation. It seemed that her memories were returning to her, just like Fay's had. The only problem was; it was coming back too late.

"Fine, I'll tell you, on one condition though:" She says. "You let my brother go."

"Marita!" Aaron calls but is stopped by the men at the door grabbing him. He looks over his shoulder at the men as he struggles to break free. When that amounts to nothing, he then returns his gaze to his sister as she looks at him, before shaking her head. He understood and kept quiet.

Mr. Peak seems to mull this over for a little bit before nodding his head. "Very well, I can deal with that. Now tell me your little secret."

"Since I am an adapter," Fay begins to explain. "I can adapt to any kind of mental and physical changes to my eternal or internal surroundings. This also includes my DNA, my genetic coding. For someone who isn't an adapter, changing their genetic coding can result in death, on most cases, or the splicing not ending in a successful result. To add a new gene to someone, you have to splice the original gene then add the new component. For anyone, that procedure would result in death.

What I got Aaron and Slate to do was to take sample of my DNA to be used for splicing. With Viv and Nick, we altered their genetic coding so that they would live an extra ten minutes longer after a beheading, for both body and head. But just splicing their genes alone would have resulted in failure, and if this test had been conducted, their death. But by adding my gene to their own coding, it enabled them to live without their heads for a little over fifteen minutes, if everything went as planned.

With me, I spliced my genetic coding with my brother's gene that enables him to smell rotting fish whenever he sees the colour blue. With that, the result was a little different to what we had expected; whenever I see blue I taste peppermint, but don't smell rotting fish. We spliced everyone's DNA, before you ask. And I refuse to tell you the results of their splicing."

Mr. Peak looks at her with admiration before clapping his hands together. Aaron looks at her with worry as Nick begins to understand what his sister was saying earlier. She was saying how this was all Marita Young's fault. _But why was Fay being called Marita?_ Nick thinks. _Unless… she couldn't be… could she?_

_Your starting to get it now, aren't you? _Viv comments.

Fay looks over her shoulder to the twins as they stare at her in horror. She didn't want to be someone they hated, but she didn't want to lie to them either. She returns her attention back to the ringmaster, the man grinning with glee. "Now will you let Aaron go?" She asks.

Mr. Peak grins at her. "I think he may be a fine addition to our collection." He says. "Don't you agree?"

Fay gaps at him in horror as Aaron struggles against the men again. "You made a deal." He shouts at the small man.

"Yes, but deals are made to be broken." Mr. Peak replies as the two men carry the doctor away. Fay watches him go, a sinking feeling wheeling up in her gut, as she realizes that it was all her fault. If she hadn't have given Mr. Peak the information, then he might have been safe.

"Now now, Marita." Mr. Peak says as he walks towards the cage. "I was never going to let Aaron go, no matter what you said. Put your mind at ease; at least you can say you tried." He laughs at this before leaving the tent.

Fay looks up at Viv and Nick to receive the very looks she had expected from them:

Viv was a look of sadness, one of shame and confusion. Her eyes were asking 'why?' as tears began to trickle down her face.

Nick was a look quiet similar to that of hatred. He was angry, upset and felt betrayed by what he had just heard. One of the people he trusted most ended up being the cause of his, and everyone else's suffering.

Even if Fay did try to explain the reasons behind the experimentation, the hate would still be there. She didn't want them to find out so soon, not like this anyway. She wanted them to find out when they were free, and where Slate was so that he could reverse the effects that she had ordered onto them.

"Viv… Nick…" She begins before looking down. She didn't know where to start, but she thought an apology would be best. "I'm-"

"Save it." Nick says harshly. "I don't want an apology from someone I don't even know." He and his sister leave the tent and its lonesome occupant alone.

She smiles sadly down at herself as she wipes a stray tear from her eyes.

She looks up to the tent's roof as she begins to hum to herself, her tears now flowing freely from her eyes.** "**_Down by the river, she waited all alone. Waiting for a lone wolf, to come and help her out.  
Soon the sun will fall, and the moon begins to rise. A time where people wait, and a time when people cry."_

She now remembers where that song came from, why she and Viv knew it so well, along with everyone else.

She had sung that to everyone when they came to that abandoned asylum, the place she namedKooIsland.

And before she sung it to them, the person who had sung it to her every night to help her sleep was someone very dear and special to her.

Her mother had sung that, every night when she was young, to help her sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

OMG! It has taken me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long just to get this up!

If you want to shoot me: go right ahead. I have finished EVERYTHING now regarding this story, so I might update fortnightly.

*waits for 'BANG!' from gun*

A-anyway, I have to thank you all for sticking with me, even though I don't update regularly. Now that I have finished writing this story (but not finished updating it) I would like to ask you which of these Vocaloid related ideas you would like to see more:

Servant of Evil series (starting off with Adolescence even though I know the song isn't related to the series)  
Synchronicity series (will go as far as the second song, unless there is a demand for more)  
How Vocaloid Should Have Ended (taking the 'How it should have ended' idea and putting them to vocaloid music clips that just make me wonder how it would work if applied to real life)

That's what I'm working on at the moment as future projects. I'll put up a poll on my profile and you guys can choose. Otherwise, I'll just go with the one that has gone the furthest.

* * *

**Chapter 17 –**

The days swayed into weeks, and the weeks rolled into months. And before Fay knew it, a year had flown by her without even leaving a trace.

She hadn't seen Viv and Nick since that day all those years ago, and not once was she allowed to meet Shan or Fly. She was kept isolated from everyone, even from knowing the fate of her brother.

But she had grown used to being alone again.

She looks to her side where a thick green ribbon lay, as she laughs at it.

"Look at you." She says to it as she stretches out a hand to pick it up. "You're quiet the pathetic thing, aren't you?"

Her hand closes around a chain instead as she drops it, her face looking sullen and down cast.

She didn't want to see the crowds that she would be singing to, knowing that it would all be under a false light. So she had found a sharp stick and had blinded herself, all without the circus staff knowing.

She smiles at the memory.

No matter how many times they tried to recover her eye sight, it never came back. It seemed that there were some things even an adapter couldn't heal from. She had laughed at their attempts, claiming that she preferred a world that she couldn't see, and jeered at their countless failed attempts to restore her sight.

Now she was left alone most of the time, left to think of her past memories and where everything had gone wrong.

If she had of remembered sooner, if all of them had reclaimed their memories when they reached the circus, then all of this could have been avoided.

But even if that wasn't the case, if she had listened to Shan in the first place, then things would have been different as well.

It didn't change the fact that she was the cause of everyone's misery and pain, and the reason why they were all trapped in the circus now.

The scuttling of a rat catches her attention as she smiles and tilts her head to the side. "Hey there little one," she says as she hears it run over her chains. "If you're hungry, there is a bowl to the side with food. I'll share some of it with you if you keep me some company."

She had grown accustomed to being alone, but that didn't stop her from striking up conversations with animals and inanimate objects. She sometimes found these conversations to be exhilarating, as it allowed her thoughts to be put into words, which allowed her to remember certain details and come to terms with events past.

"You know," she says as she hears the animal begin to nibble on the crusty bread. "I was just thinking about my brother, Aaron. I was wondering if he was alive or not, and then I started to think of Slate. He was at Koo Island with us, and must have come to the forest with my brother to rescue everyone. So if that is the case, what's happened to him? I wonder if he is alive as well. Ah, but if they caught Aaron, then they must have found Slate as well. I guess they're both dead then, since they took me away from this place.

And besides, Slate's a traitor to the circus; why would they show him any mercy? But then… what did they do to Lucinda then? What was her punishment? If we had of met when we were younger, then I am sure she would not have allowed this to happen to me, to everyone. But she didn't know me, I'm sure of it. I'm sure Mr. Peak didn't tell her who I was, only what I was. A mumbling fool, was it, Aaron? Heh, I guess she did grow up."

She feels tears streak down her cheek as she places a fist to her watering eye. She laughs at her self; at how weak she actually was, as the sound of someone entering her tent startles her.

She sits up, turning towards the sound, as she rat scuttles off.

"Yes?" Fay says to the stranger.

"I was told you can't see." The stranger comments, surprise evident in their voice.

Fay smiles. "Yes, I blinded myself the first chance I got. But that doesn't mean that I am unable to detect things such as sound, and certain images. I can see, but I am blind more than anything else."

"Ah."

Silence follows as the stranger remains standing in the tent. It wasn't often that Fay got visitors, and only then were they men to take her to the big top. She once got a rare visit from Mr. Peak, but that was only after she blinded herself. Ever since, he chose to steer clear from her tent.

So this rare visit was a treat to the teen.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry."

Fay looks up, startled, as she hears those words. "Excuse me?" She asks in disbelief.

"I said I'm sorry."

"I heard that and I repeat; excuse me?"

"W-well… I felt that… somehow… that this… this was my entire fault somehow." Fay could imagine the woman, now that she heard the stranger speak more, fidget where she stood as she looked down at the teen in the cage.

"Lucinda?" Fay asks.

"Yes?" She responds.

"The only thing you can be blamed for; is for getting caught. If you had of left all those years ago, then there would be no reason for you being here."

"I had overheard that you were Marita Young, but that was only after they caught and experimented on you. I had no idea."

"That was the whole point. You weren't meant to."

"I'm sorry Marita, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." Lucinda begins to cry as she kneels down beside Fay's cage. The teen stretches out her hands and wraps then around the woman's head in her own sort of comfort.

"Can you tell me what's happened to the others at least?" Fay asks.

Lucinda nods her head as she sits up straight.

"The twins, Viv and Nick, they're being used to lure customers to the circus. Every now and then, though, they catch the unsuspecting victim and lead them to the circus. Those unfortunates are then experimented on and become a part of the circus. But this is only possible due to the genetic coding we have extracted from you. Otherwise, they would end up like the countless failures that had occurred in the past.

Shan has gone into a reclusive state of mind due to all the torture the circus has inflicted on him. I was surprised, at first, seeing him there, that I did believe he was someone else. Only now do I recognize him. He was subjugated to more mental torture and quiet a bit of physical too, mainly electrical shock therapy, as they call it. He doesn't respond to his name anymore, and the only thing he is capable of now is eating, sleeping and breathing.

Fly is being forced to join the acrobats high up in the tent and throw wilted flowers down to the patrons below. But her arms and legs have become far worse than they were a year ago. Last night, during her routine, a bandage fell off and parts of her rotting flesh fell off her body and into the audience. They're now thinking of getting rid of her, since she is now becoming a hindrance to the circus.

Senz and Izabellz are forced to dance at the entrance to the circus now. The pair are quite beautiful dancers, I must say, but it doesn't change the fact that they look broken and tired now days. They sleep all day and can only dance for the night before going straight back to sleep. Mr. Peak is finding it troublesome, and are looking for replacements amongst the patrons.

Aaron… I heard what happened to him, and I'm sure you would want to know too. He… he was… I don't know how to say this to you exactly, Marita, but-! No, there's no easy way to tell you. Marita, I'm sorry, but he's dead. They lobotomized him first, before proceeding to extract his brain, then killed his body and dumped in the swamp for any poor soul to find. They're trying to extract information from his mind on how to conduct even better experiments than before.

And they found Slate, Marita. They found Slate at the swamp. Shot him down, they did. They pulled a gun on him, a defenceless man who would have come quietly if they had of told him of what had happened. They shot him at the swamp, in the dead of the night, and left his body there to rot. And the one who shot him… was me. They forced me to, Marita. And the worst thing about it, the worst part of it, was his expression.

He was smiling sadly at me, before I pulled the trigger."

Fay sits where she is quietly, thinking over what she had just been told.

So her thoughts were right: Slate and Aaron were dead.

"Was that your punishment then?" Fay asks. "Was your punishment, for letting us escape, to kill Slate, and Aaron?"

"Yes." Lucinda replies as she bursts into tears again.

"I see." Fay says as she smiles sadly down at her hands.

She had become so numb to everything now days, to emotion, to memory, to the air that she breathed and even to the words and tunes that she sung.

She was numb to the world.

The Dark Woods Circus brought out the horrors of the human heart, presented them as freaks to the greater population, paraded them around to showcase what every human was capable of.

No one was safe from the circus, for even just the mention of the name determined your fate. Never knowing of it, of that dreadful circus hidden inside the Dark Woods, was the only way to guarantee your safety.

_'It's painful, it's painful, and it can't be helped._

_She said it, but still, we continue this circus._

_Forever.'_


	18. Chapter 16 alternate

I'm deciding to get this story out of the way so that I can focus on my current and new ones. So expect two more chapters in two weeks :3

I'm still a little surprised this story is coming to an end. I can easily remember writing it at the beginning and now, it's nearly over.

Like I said I would write, I have an alternate ending where everyone is happy and such. If you don't want to read this, then you're reading journey ended with the last chapter. I thank you for sticking with me for so long and I hope you have enjoyed reading this story.

I don't know how many of you want a happy ending, I for one like both, so I've got it here anyway. Do with it as you please.

Like I said: two more chapters after this and it's done!

I'll do a proper thank you to everyone on the last chapter.

Also: if you want to see more Vocaloid writing, then I'm giving you a choice as to which story I shall write next. I've started all three, but I won't go into more detail with them until I know which one I will be focusing on more. So please help me out here and guide me onto my next Vocaloid project.

That's it for now. See you all next week~!

Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 16 (alternate) –

Fay looks away then, pulling her hand out of his, as she looks down at her legs. "There is no next step." She says.

He looks at her in shock, stumbling for words, as she continues.

"I'm beyond saving now."

"But… what do you mean beyond saving?"

Fay looks at him before standing. Even in the dim light, the shadow of the cage covering her, he could still make out the dim outline of fawn-like legs. He squints before standing up and pulling off a lamp that was hanging near the tent entrance. Bringing it closer to her, he looks to see that his first thought was indeed correct.

Her human legs had been amputated from mid thigh down and replaced with fawn legs, the odd curve and hoof making it hard for the girl to stand. She looks down sadly as he notices a horn protruding from the left side of her head, having been sewn onto her skull.

He looks away, the sight disturbing him, before returning his gaze back to her.

This was what would have happened to her all those years ago if Slate hadn't come and warned them of Mr. Peak's plan.

"Marita…" he whispers before noticing how she cringes at the name.

"All these different names," she says. "I want to have only _one name _to go by, not all these other names, wether false or real." She sighs as she sits down. "I'm Marita to you, Angel to the others, Fay to anyone else that I've met. Why can't I just have one name?"

"You're birth name is Marita, that's why I call you that." Aaron replies. "Just because you remember now, though, doesn't mean your name has to change."

"Then I'll stay as Fay." She says. "Besides, I don't want to be Angel; I was never her to begin with. And I am no longer Marita; I'm someone new, with new memories, whether false or real." She sighs before fiddling with a ribbon that was tied around her new horn. "You can't save us, I know that now. We're trapped now. But you can save the other people from this circus. You could save Lucy, I'm sure she would be excited to see you again."

"Lucy? You mean Lucinda? She's still not a stuttering mess, is she?"

"She used to stutter?"

"When she was younger; yes. Why, don't you remember?"

"I never met her when she was younger, so no; I don't remember."

Silence hangs in the air between the siblings as Aaron begins to look around the tent. Fay sighs at this. "What are you doing?" She asks.

"I'm looking to see if they left a key here or something to get you out of that cage." He replies.

"Do you listen to a word that I say?" She asks. "I said you can't save us. Besides, they wouldn't be that dumb as to leave the lock key in the tent. They would surly have it on person."

Aaron ignores her remarks as he notices something in the far corner of the tent. Striding towards it, Fay follows him as she notices him pick something up and hold it out before him in glee.

It was a rusted, iron key.

"Bingo!" He says as he strides towards the cage and unlocks it. He looks at the fallen lock in shock before opening up the cage.

"Didn't actually _think_ that would fit the lock." Fay comments as she stumbles out of the cage.

"Surprise, I guess." Aaron replies with a satisfied smirk on his face.

She frowns at him as he catches her as she walks into him, before looking down at her legs. "For the moment, we need to keep to the shadows of the tents, so we can walk slowly. Are you okay with that?"

She nods her head.

"Alright then, let's go and save the others."

Shan lies on his cage floor, tired and sore from the day, as Fly hums out a rhythm.

"Fly," He croaks in a broken voice.

The woman stops humming and turns to the young man. "Shut up."

"Aren't you polite." She replies as Nick snickers at her response.

The sound of rustling feet outside their tent silences them as the flap is pulled aside.

"Fay!"

The teen looks at them all in relief as the twins get to their feet and run to the girl at the tents entrance.

"Fay! Where have you been? We've missed yo-" Their words are cut short as the pair notices the girl's legs, and the horn atop her head.

She looks at them sadly before looking up to Shan and Fly.

The young man was standing in his cage, a new found energy in him, as he grips the cage bars tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Fly was staring at her, wide eyed, as she gaps at the work the circus has done to her. "Oh my god." She breathes as Fay removes the twins grip from her waist.

"I know how this looks," Fay begins. "But I need you to listen to me now: we're getting out of here, and we're going back to the island."

"You mean Koo Island?" Shan retorts. "The place we just escaped from?"

Fay nods her head.

"You have got to be kidding." Fly exclaims. "I mean, we just got out of that place. That place was a prison. Why would you even consider going back?"

"Look, you all have to trust me on this, okay?" Fay counters. "I know what I'm doing now; I remember everything. And it's up to you guys to decide if you want to remember as well."

"Remember what?" Nick comments.

"Our real pasts." Viv replies.

All eyes fall on the young teen as she looks up at Fay. "Those memories… the memories of the circus and of the island, those are our real memories."

Fay nods her head. "I'm surprised you've regained them so quickly."

"Not all, but enough to piece together a few things on my own. So… you really are her, aren't you?"

Fay nods her head.

"But, why can't the others remember yet?"

"The time for all of us is different. I've regained all of my memories, but you're still missing a few fragments, it seems. Everyone else will regain them over time, if they choose so that is. But in the meantime, we need to hurry and get out of here. Viv, Nick; look for the keys for the cages. Check the corners of the tent."

The twins nod their heads in unison as they begin their search as they hear footsteps outside the tent.

Everyone inside inhales sharply as Dr. Aaron Slur enters the tent, quickly followed by Lucinda Bell.

Only Fay's face was washed with relief at the sight of the pair.

"Is everything set?" Fay asks, much to everyone's surprise.

Aaron nods his head. "We managed to get Izabellz and Senz free, and told them to head to the swamp. Slate's waiting there for all of us, but I don't think everyone will fit in the boat."

"That's fine. We can just steal another one if need be."

"What is _he _doing here?" Fly shrieks.

Fay turns around as Viv shouts "I've got a key over here!"

"Great!" Fay replies. "We need to get these cages open. Check to see which lock it fits in. As for you, Fly, I'll explain when we get to safety. For now, just trust me when I say he's here to help."

"Uh-uh. No way. I'm not going anywhere near him, Fay. You're outta your mind if you think I'll do anything to help him."

"Fly, we have a tonic back at the island. If you want to be cured, I suggest you come with us." Aaron says.

Fly stares at him in shock as Shan growls at him. Fay turns to her brother and frowns. "You don't have to be so rude!" She says as Viv and Nick open up Shan's cage.

Shan bolts out of the now open cage and stalks towards Aaron, but is intercepted by Fay.

"Outta my way, Fay." He says though gritted teeth. "That man had a cure for Fly all along and is using it as a bargaining chip to get us back to that god forsaken island."

"Shan, calm down. I know what he's doing is wrong, believe me, I even find it a dirty trick," She shoots a gaze to her brother, who shrugs his shoulders in reply, as she returns her gaze to Shan. "But you have to understand that all Aaron is trying to do is get us away from this circus and to safety."

"So you think going back to that pla- wait, Aaron? Since when did you know his name?" Shan replies in shock.

Fay stares up at him, and then turns to her brother, before hearing another '_click_' as Fly's lock is opened and she is freed from her cage as well.

"I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that as well." She says as she walks up to Fay.

Fay looks from young man to woman then back up to her brother with pleading eyes.

Aaron sighs as he places a hand on her shoulder. "Marita here is my younger sister." He states.

"What?" Come startled replies.

"Aaron!" Fay cries as she looks up at him in shock.

"What? They have to find out sooner or later. If this gets them to move, then its better they know now than find out later."

"S-so Fay is M-m-marita?" Lucinda stutters.

All eyes fall on her as she looks down at the teen in shock. "B-but, you would be c-close to my age now! H-how come you still look so y-y-young?"

"Marita, I thought you said she had stoped stuttering?" Aaron cuts in.

"I believe she stutters when around you." Fay answers bluntly as the woman blushes. "It's a long story, Lucinda, and one that can wait. For now, let's worry about getting back to Slate and returning to the island. He and Aaron can get us all back to normal." Fay replies with a sigh.

"We're not going anywhere until we get some answers." Fly says as she folds her arms as Shan stands firmly beside her. Nick looks at the older pair before him as Viv sighs in return.

"Listen guys," she says, her small voice echoing inside the tent. "Fay will explain everything later, I know she will. And I trust her, so if she says we'll be safe; then we'll be safe." She looks up at the older teen and smiles at her. "I trust Fay, no matter who she is, or who she is with."

"Thank you Viv." Fay replies with a smile as she turns to the others. "I promise to tell you everything later, but for now we need to worry about getting out of this circus. Can you guys please do this for me?"

They all look to one another, frowning still, when Shan breaks the silence with a sigh. "I trust you Fay, I really do. But I don't trust him," he points a finger to Aaron, the man just giving a gruff grunt in reply. "Nor do I trust her," he moves his finger to the side so that he is pointing to Lucinda as she looks down sadly. "So of course I will hesitate when going anywhere with them."

"What would you say if I told you that if you come with us, we can get you back to normal again so that you are no longer blue?" Fay asks with a quirk to her brow.

"That's blackmail, you know." Shan replies bluntly.

"I know. So I'll leave you with a choice: you either come because you trust me, or you come just for the cure. Choose."


	19. Chapter 17 alternate

Only one more after this and that's it! No more 'Dark Woods Circus'.

I'm still a little shocked that I've finished writing this. It's taken me so long and been really enjoyable.

Now all I have to do is focus on my next project :/ *sighs* Time to watch the music videos... again :)

Just a reminder: this is an alternate ending, where it ends happiness and with smiles and such. I just wrote this one cause giving them a sad ending didn't seem fitting enough: they needed to have both in my opinion.

Anyway, one more chapter and then were done. I'll see whoever is still reading in the last part.

Enjoy~!

* * *

Chapter 17 (alternate) –

"I can't believe we're doing this." Fly says as she walks behind Fay who was following Aaron.

The teen stifles a laugh as she grips Shan's hand tightly, the young man walking alongside her as Viv and Nick cling to Fay's other free hand.

"Wait here." Aaron whispers to the small group as he steps out of the shadows into the moon light.

They were still in the circus, choosing to cling to the shadows in order to make it easier for Fay to move, which in avertedly made their escape longer than necessary.

Lucinda looks to Fay, still a little shocked at the revelation that the teen was Marita, as Aaron returns. "There are a few people up ahead, but if we make a quick dash across, we won't be seen. Marita, get on my back and I'll carry you."

"Right." Fay says as Shan grabs her hand and pulls her back.

"No way." He says. "There is no way in hell that I'll let you carry her. Think of another way."

Aaron frowns down at the young man and sighs. "Fine, if you insist."

"You don't need to worry, Shan." Fay says, as reassuringly as she can muster. "He's my brother, and I trust him. All you have to do is trust me." She then turns to her brother and nods her head. "Quickly take me across."

Aaron nods his head as he bends down low for her. Quietly, she climbs onto his back, before looking over her shoulder at Shan and the others, and smiles. "See you when you get across." She says as Aaron quickly scuttles across the distance.

They weren't noticed as the man slowly places his young sister to the ground. "They don't trust me." He says with a sigh as her hoofs land on the ground.

"Can you blame them?" She replies. "The false memories I implanted, and the instructions I left, were to make them not trust you and lead us to this place. But they're following us back, aren't they?"

"Only because they trust you."

"Then that's all that matters." She replies as Lucinda and Shan quickly cross the gap. Shan immediately returns to Fay's side, grabbing her hand, as his frown drops at noticing that she is safe and unharmed.

Fly and the twins are the last the cross, quickly closing the distance between them and safety, when they hear a noise coming from the group ahead of them.

Fly urges the twins forward as she ducks into the shadows as the sound of feet rush towards the gap.

The small group quickly slips into the woods as the circus folk look around the area they had previously occupied, before grunting in disapproval and returning to their post.

"I didn't remember this much resistance last time we escaped." Fay says, a little out of breath.

"Last time, they didn't expect us to escape." Aaron replies as he proceeds to lead the way again.

"We're in the wood, that's the main thing." He says. "But we're on the wrong side. We need to make our way towards the boats which are to the west of the swamp."

"Alright." Fly says. "So explain to me what happens when we get back to Koo Island?"

"Well," Aaron begins. "We'll give you the antidote to your condition, while Marita returns your memories to you, if you want them back that is."

"Fay." Fay says.

Aaron stops walking and turns back to her. "Marita." He counters.

"Fay."

"Marita."

"Fay."

"I'll call you the name mother gave you when you were born, the name I helped choose. Marita."

"You chose my name?" Fay replies in shock as they continue walking again.

"I was there when you were born." He answers. He turns to help her over a fallen tree as Shan quickly jumps over so that he was beside Fay again. "Or have you forgotten that I am thirteen years older than you? Well, more than that now." He smirks over his shoulder. "What? Didn't you think I would be there?"

"Well, not really, since its mother we're talking about here. I thought she would have tried to keep you away form me."

"Marita, back then, they didn't know. She treated you like any mother should treat her child."

They walk in silence for a while, Shan still holding tightly to Fay's hand, while the soft whispers of Viv and Nick could be heard over the sound of their feet steeping on dead leaves and fallen twigs.

The silence was finally broken by Fay who directed her question to Aaron. "Do you know how our parents are doing?" She asks.

"No, never thought to check up on them, and don't really care to be honest." He replies.

"I see." Fay says without much thought to the matter.

Shan looks at the pair in shock. "How can you say that?" He asks them both.

The siblings turn to Shan in shock as he looks at them in horror. "I mean, coming from you, Dr. Slur, that's something that I expect."

"Hey!" Aaron replies. "Watch what you say, kid."

"But from you Fay…? These are your parents! How can you say that?"

"Easy," she replies. "Let's see, where shall I begin? Well, they locked me up in a hospital when I was eight and didn't let me outside ever, not even to see my friends again. They didn't let me get an education and claimed that I was sick, using that reason to keep me in the hospital so that they could inject me with many viruses and vaccines in order to cure diseases. They sold me to the hospital, in a way, and when Aaron saved me from that place, and went to the circus, we soon found out that they had sold me to the circus as well. Now answer me this, do they deserve your sympathy at all?"

Shan stares at her in shock, before look up to Aaron, then back to her. "But… Viv and Nick are your niece and nephew then, and his children. And you saw how he treated them."

"Shan," Aaron says, startling the young man by using his name in a tone so different to what he used back on Koo Island. "For starters, Viv and Nick aren't my children. I'm not sure whose they are, but we were asked by Lucinda and Slate to take them away from the circus, and that is what we did. Second of all, my behaviour towards you all was so that you would come to hate me. Do you know how hard that is, when for five months I _lived_ with you all and we shared out pasts to one another, to act so unkind to you all, to my own sister who means the world to me? When I found out that Marita had been raped by those men, I was so enraged!"

Fay blushes at the memory as Shan begins to shake with rage. Fly hears this last comment and gives a sharp shriek as Viv and Nick rush towards Fay and hug her waist.

"Oh my god _that's _what happened?" Fly says as she looks at Fay.

The teen nods her head as she feels the grip on her hand tighten. She looks up at Shan who stares at Aaron. "Where are these men?" He asks the older man.

Aaron smiles at him. "You want to punish them as well?" he asks.

Shan looks at him, a little in shock, before nodding his head.

"I've kept them in the good hands of Slate. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to exact your revenge before Slate toys with time."

"I gather he was angry as well." Fay comments.

"Course he was. He sees you as a sister as well." Aaron replies.

"Funny, cause I thought he saw me as someone else." Fay replies with a sly smile.

Aaron scoffs at this. "Careful now, Marita. You have Shan at your side right now, don't go switching to Slate."

"Would you mind if I was with Slate instead?"

"Course I would. Still don't like that guy."

Fay laughs as Shan looks at her in alarm. "You have another guy?" He asks.

Fay stifles her next wave of laughter as she shakes her head. "No, Shan. It's always been you, trust me on this."

Still not looking very reassured, Fay smiles and kisses his cheek as they reach a clearing in the woods, just on the bank of the swamp waters.

There are two boats lined next to each other, one in better condition than the other one which seemed to have been left to the weather for quiet some time. Standing before the first boat was a man, around the same age as Aaron, wearing a white lab coat that was drenched in what looked like dried blood. He has large goggles that covered his eyes, to which he removes to reveal eyes that were dark yet full of life.

He smiles warmly at the sight of Fay to which the teen beams towards him.

"Slate!" She yells as she hobbles towards him.

The man meets her half way to help prevent her from hobbling any further as he wraps her in a warm hug, smiling warmly all the while. "It's good to see you again, Mari- uh, I mean Fay."

Fay laughs before kissing his cheek. "Marita is fine, but only with you, Aaron, and Lucinda if she chooses."

"I think I might stay with Fay, since that is who I know." Lucinda replies sheepishly.

Slate stares at the woman before breaking out into a wide grin. "Why, if it isn't Lucinda! You look well."

The pair welcomes each other with a hug as Lucinda begins to cry into his shoulder. "I didn't think I would see you again." She says though her tears. "I mean, when I failed to distract them long enough, I thought all was lost for me."

"Silly," Slate replies. "How could we ever forget you? Aaron's been talking about you non stop!"

"Have not!" Came a reply from the man standing beside Lucinda.

The woman turns to Aaron who looks away as the signs of a soft blush grace his cheeks.

"Anyway," Aaron says as he turns to the man. "Have the others arrived yet?"

"What others?" Slate asks in confusion.

"He means us." A voice says though the trees off in the distance.

Slate looks up and gasps as he notices two looming figures walking towards the group.

Senz and Izabellz walk into the clearing, the youngest of the pair smiling when she notices Fay before letting a shrill cry escape her lips when she notices the teen's legs and the horn upon her head.

"Fay! Look at you!" She says as she kneels before the teen. "You're legs! You're poor legs!"

"It is good to see you again, Slate." Senz says as she notices the man.

Slate stares up at her in shock, before turning away in shame. "Such words should not be directed my way, especially from you."

Senz smiles down at him before placing a hand on his head. "You may believe that is so," she says. "But I believe you deserve it. After all, I have been allowed to see you again."

Slate pushes aside the woman's hand before staring up into her eyes. "Senz, I apologise for when I was younger, and I vow to return you to normal."

"Can such a thing even happen, though?" Senz muses with a coy smile on her lips.

Slate returns the smile as he nods his head. "Of course it can. With Marita here to help, and Aaron as well, both you and your young companion can return to your original height."

Senz sighs at this as she imagines it. "Yes, that would be nice, thank you."

"It's the least I can do, since I am the reason you are like this in the first place."

Fay laughs at Izabellz, receiving a surprised look from the teen before her, as she smiles at her. "I'm happy that you're worried about me, but it's alright, really. We'll all be able to return back to normal. We'll all be fine."

Izabellz seems reassured by these words as she smiles at the teen, nods her head, and returns to her feet. "Well then," she says as she pats her knees, brushing aside leaves and dirt that has clung to her skirt. "When do we leave?"

"Right now." Aaron replies as he points to the boats to his side. "Izabellz, Senz, you two will take the large boat. Lucinda, you go with them too. The rest of us with go in the smaller boat. Understand?"

Everyone nods their heads in unison as everyone begins to pile into the boats.

Viv and Nick were the first to clamber onto the boat, followed by Fly then Shan who was urging Fay to get on as well. On the boat next to theirs, Izabellz takes a tentive step into the boat before sitting down as Lucinda follows closely behind. Senz stands at the side of the boat as Slate hops in his one, sitting next to Fly as he sighs a little in relief, the woman glancing at him briefly, before watching as Aaron hops in next. Fay continues to stand on the swamp bank, still thinking there was something she was forgetting.

"Wait!" She calls as she looks down at her legs. "Where are my human legs?"

"What, you don't have them?" Slate calls out in alarm as the teen shakes her head. "Sheesh!" he says as he shakes his head. "So who's volunteering to go back on a suicide mission to get her legs?" He asks as he looks around the group.

"No one is." Aaron replies as he points to a black bag in Senz's arms. "Before I rescued them, I went to the circus's operating tent and got her lags back. But you have to be quick about it; they're still fresh since it happened this morning."

"Good ol' Aaron; knows how to do all the dirty work." Slate comments with a sly grin. "So does that mean I get to do her operating?"

"It will be a long day in hell before I allow you to operate on her without me there." Aaron retorts.

Fay sighs as she quickly hops into the boat as they drift off to the island.


	20. Chapter 18 alternate

This ending was kinda difficult to write. More the fact that I didn't KNOW how to end it than I didn't want to.

I mean, sure, I like the characters and story, but to continue it even further than this would be over doing it.

Anyway, I'm saying a big thank you to everyone who has stuck by me and read this series from start to finish. Reading the reviews and comments you have all left me has really made writing this fic so much more enjoyable.

Now all I have to do is decide which shall be my next Vocaloid project :/ Such a hard decision to make *sighs*

Again, thank you for reading and enjoy the last chapter for 'Dark Woods Circus'

Bye-bye~!

* * *

Chapter 18 (alternate) –

"… So that's what happened." Fay finishes. "All of this, everything we've done, was to save the people from the circus. We might not be able to stop them, but at least we can hinder them."

She looks up at those in the room with her, from Shan to Fly, then to both twins. All of them, bar Viv, had a look of disbelief in their eyes. Her story was too fantastic, too far fetched to be true.

But it was the truth, and they all knew it, deep down, that what she said was no lie.

"So what now?" Nick asks. "Do we go back to normal? Do we get out memories back? What happens now?"

"Slate and Aaron will operate on all of us, including Izabellz and Senz, to get us back to the way we once were. With regards to your memories, that all depends on you." Fay replies. "If you want to remember, I can make the process quicker by reversing what I did to you, or you can wait for it to naturally deteriorate, like what has happened to me and Viv. But if you don't want to remember, then that is fine as well. I can make it that your memories never return, a permanent block on them, if you wish it."

"Knowing is scary," Shan says, rubbing his hands together as he looks around the all too familiar room. "But not knowing, to me, is even scarier."

"I agree with Shan." Fly comments. "I want to know, so that I can see where I came from. I mean, you three," she points to Shan and the twins. "Know that you came from the circus. But me? I have no idea where. So yes, Fay, I want to know."

Fay smiles at the pair as she turns to the twins, waiting for their answer.

Viv looks to Nick who just nods his head. "We want to remember as well." Viv answers for the both of them. "But if we do regain our original memories, what will happen to our current ones? Will they disappear?"

"No, only the false ones that I implanted will disappear. Everything else will remain."

"I still don't trust him, Fay." Shan says, startling the teen a little.

She looks up at him and nods her head sadly.

"It may be because I don't have my memories back yet, or I could be something else. But I don't trust him."

"I know." Fay whispers.

"But I trust you." Shan grabs the girls hand in his, the teen looking up at him, as he smiles warmly at her. "And I know you would never intentionally harm us, as you have explained."

She could have cried tears of joy at those words as they embrace each other. She was worried; worried that they would hate her, even though they made the choice of their own accord. She was so scared of losing them, and they had just brushed her fears aside like they were leaves being blown by a strong gust of wind.

Fay was the first to be operated on, since her legs wouldn't be fresh for long. She walks to the red room, everyone looking at the offending door in mutual shock, as she turns, smiles at them reassuringly, before entering the room. It was a good few hours before Slate and Aaron exited the room, with a woozy Fay being pushed along in a wheel chair, with her legs intact and horn gone.

She smiles up at them and flexes a toe for all to see.

After that, everyone else's fears were put to rest as Viv and Nick were next to enter.

Slate operated on them alone as Aaron tended to Fly, giving her a tonic that would slowly stop her flesh from rotting and falling off her body.

"Within in a year," Aaron says as he gives her the bottle. "You should have most of your body fully recovered."

Fly holds the bottle in her hand, a little wary of it, as she looks up at him. "You do have a back up plan if this doesn't work, right?" She asks.

Aaron smiles at her before shaking his head. "If _that _doesn't work, then nothing will. Trust me on this; it will work."

"And how can you be so confidant with this?" Fly holds the bottle out at him and shakes it slightly.

"Simple." Aaron replies, grabbing her left arm and ripping off the bandages. Her skin, though a bit red and raw, was intact. "You took a little before Marita replaced your memories to see if it worked."

Fly gaps at her arm, having always had it bandaged up, as she runs a finger along the bumpy skin.

"Over time," He continues. "You're skin will become smooth, as if you had never had a problem in the first place."

She was lost for words.

The one thing she had wanted in the whole world was to have normal skin.

"You're not returning me to normal: you're curing me." She states in shock as she realizes she was like this before having met the doctor.

Aaron, confirming her statement, nods his head. She looks up at him, in utter awe at his work, before realising that Fay was right: he did want to help.

She smiles, a sly smile, up at the good doctor. "Maybe you aren't so bad after all." She says before walking off.

Slate exits the red room, having already placed the twins in their own bed with their heads reattached to their bodies, as he looks around. "Who's next?" He asks the empty hall.

"We are." A voice replies.

Turning around, Slate faces Senz and the young Izabellz. He looks up to their tall figures as he gulps slightly.

"I'll let Aaron take care of you both, then." He states as he begins to walk away.

"Aaron is busy tending to his sister." Senz intercepts, stepping in front of the man. Slate stops in his tracks as he looks up at the woman before him. "Besides, I would rather be operated on by someone that I know and trust than a stranger."

"Then you must have me confused with someone else." Slate says as he steps past the woman. "I'm neither of those things, least of all to you."

"What happened in the past can't be changed." Senz calls out.

Slate stops walking and tilts his head to the side slightly as he waits for her to continue.

"I know what happened; I found out later that it was you who did this to me." Slate stiffens at her words as she chuckles nervously to herself. "I must admit, I was shocked at first, but I understand now." She stretches out a hand towards him as he turns around to face her, his eyes sad and lonely. "You don't have to carry this burden all on your own."

Slate looks away, ashamed at his past actions, as he walks towards the red door and opens it wide. He looks up to both women as he steps aside. "After you." He says as Senz smiles down at him.

She places a hand on his head before entering, leaving Izabellz to wait for her turn outside.

Shan knocks on Fay's room door, startling the teen as she looks up from her reading. "Yes?" She says as he enters her room. She smiles at him before placing the papers on her bed and walking towards him.

"I see you can walk now." Shan says as he watches her walk towards him.

She smiles, performs a little twirl for him, before standing in front of him. "I just had to wait for the drugs to wear off before I could walk again." She replies as she kisses him.

He smiles into the kiss before remembering the reason he had come and pulls away from her embrace. "Fay, I need to know how I am to be cured."

Her face falls slightly before looking away, a slight blush gracing her cheeks.

His face falls with the thought that there was no cure after all.

Fay, having read his face, holds up a hand in shock and shakes her head. "No, it's not like that. There is a cure. It's just… well… embarrassing." She mutters to herself.

He grabs her arms and shakes her gently. "I don't care, Fay." He says. "If it's a cure, then I want it."

She looks up at him and nods her head as she whispers into his ear.

He pulls back in shock as he looks at her wryly. "You're kidding, right?" he asks in shock.

She shakes her head.

"But… for that to be a cure?"

"I know, it seems a little… odd."

"You mean unreal and unbelievable."

"Well, yeah, but I am being honest: it's the only way."

"Did you plan it like this?"

Answering his question, the teen's cheeks flush a bright pink as she looks to her side. He stares at her in awe before letting go of her arms. Noticing this, she looks up at him accusingly. "Hey! It's not all my fault here! We were talking about it before all of this happened and you suggested it would be a good way to break the tension."

"So what, I just said out of the blue 'Hey, as my cure, why don't you make it sex?' Is that what I said?"

"More or less." She replies, her blush growing darker on her cheeks as she stares him in the eyes.

He sighs and looks away, before returning his gaze to her. "Are you sure about this?" He asks. "There's no other way?"

She shakes her head. "There's no other cure. And besides, I don't want anyone else to have you."

He sighs in defeat as he hugs her, hoping that she couldn't feel his heart beat though his chest. "Fine." He says. "If it's the only way, then I can live with that."

She looks up at him, relief in her eyes, as she kisses him passionately.

Viv wakes in her bed, blinking her eyes as she stares up at the white ceiling. Stretching her arms up above her, she sits up and rubs her eyes. "Morning Nick." She says as she looks to her side.

Nick was sleeping soundly on a bed next to hers, drooling onto his pillow as his shirt rode slightly up his body, revealing his stomach.

Viv gaps at him in shock before looking down at herself, at her two arms and legs, before she feels around her neck. She couldn't feel any sort of stitching on her skin or any sort of bumpy line to indicate that she had been beheaded. Her smile widens as she jumps to her feet and squeals with joy.

"Nick!" She calls, rushing to her brother's bed as she shakes him awake. "Nick, look! We have our bodies back!"

"Wha?" Nick replies as he sits up, staring at his sister, before looking down at himself. He looks to his arms first, rotating his wrist back and forth, before looking down at his legs as he swings them over the side of his bed and touches the floor below him. He smiles up at his older sister before standing before her. "Fay was right!" He calls in excitement. "We're back to normal."

"And our memories have returned as well." Viv calls out in shock.

Nick looks at her in alarm before realizing that what she said was true: his memories had returned. They exchange a brief glance before rushing out of their room, in search of Fly and Shan.

Fly was talking with both Lucinda and Aaron when Viv and Nick reach them. All Fly had to do was smile at them warmly for the twins to know her memories had returned as well. They also notice how the bandages on her left arm were gone, revealing slightly red flesh instead. They give the girl a quick hug, along with a happy and encouraging smile to Aaron, before running off to find Shan.

Aaron looks at their retreating figures in slight shock as he turns to Fly. "Could they know?" He begins as Lucinda giggles beside him.

"They may be children, but I think they're sharp." She replies as she leans on Aaron a little, the man not bothering to push her away, but instead smiles at the action.

Fly laughs.

"If you want to be all lovey-dovey, then I suggest you get a room." She says, receiving a dirty look from Aaron and a bright blush from Lucinda. Fly just laughs even harder at their reactions.

Shan and Fay were in the shower, due to Fay's request, as the water dripping from Shan's body turns blue. While his skin was returning to his original colouring, the blue being washed away by the water, Fay told him that his hair would forever remain blue: something he actually didn't seem to mind, much to the girls relief.

He hugs the girl in front of him as she leans into the hug.

"Shan," she says. "I have a confession to make."

"What? You going to tell me I have my original memories back even though I said I don't want them?"

"I thought you did want them." Fay says in shock.

Shan tightens his grip around her and smiles into her back. "I'm just teasing you." He replies. "What is it you need to tell me?"

"Yeah, about that, umm, you know how I said the only way to cure you was to… well, you know."

"Yeah? What about it?" Shan asks, turning Fay around so that they were now facing each other, Shan looking his lover in the eye.

"Umm, well, I kinda lied." She says, averting his gaze.

Shan's eye twitches.

"You mean to tell me, you took advantage of me?" He says calmly.

Fay nods her head.

"Then how come I'm returning to normal?" He asks.

"Well, the thing is, you're cure could have happened ages ago." She replies. "For you, the colouring was in your pours, so all you had to do was sweat it out." She chances a glance towards him to meet smiling eyes.

"Oh really now?" He says as he leans down closer towards her.

Fay stumbles back as far as she can before hitting the tiled wall, Shan pinning her so she can not escape.

"Then how about I get some 'revenge'."

"Huh? Revenge? How?" She asks.

He kisses her deeply yet roughly, leaving her panting for air as she looks up at his lust filled eyes.

She smiles.

"I think I'm going to like this 'revenge'." She says before wrapping her arms around the young man before her.

Outside the bathroom door, Viv and Nick listen in to what the pair are doing inside, smiling in a knowing way as they decide to leave the two alone.

They can tell them the goods news when they were finished.

_'All of the cast is jolly,_

_Their forms are rather strange,_

_But it's so fun!_

_Drop by and see him,_

_Drop by,_

_To the Dark Woods._

_It's fun.'_


End file.
